Olhos Fitos na Gloria de Deus.

“Olhos fitos na gloria de Deus…” Quickly became a main theme in my life while I was serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. It means; “…eye single to the Glory of God.” I feel like this was the main message for me this week. I was especially excited for the things I received this week because I love the topic of service and of charity. I feel very strongly that the only way to truly succeed in business is with the help of the Lord, the best way to find that help is by turning outward. I especially loved the talk by Elder Gay about consecration and entrepreneurship. I want so very badly to have my life and business ideas in accordance with the mission my Heavenly Father has for me. I have seen the impact that turning outward can leave you with and it is nothing short of addictive. I can honesty say I am happiest when I am serving others around me. The quote from his father’s wall also struck a cord within; "In the days of service,all things are founded, in the days of privilege, they deteriorate, and in the days of vanity they are destroyed.” Service and charity are key to all success in this life and in eternal life. I hope that I can put myself in a position to always have a charity reflex in all my dealings. As I look to my further dreaming and action for Joy2theJourney I hope to always have a mission and a goal of charity through education. 

I also really liked what he had to say about not seeking after riches. When we seek money and riches, we will fail. We must “seek first the kingdom of God.” If we look we will find constant reminders that life is far more valuable than any riches. This past Sunday I had that reminder in a huge way. Often my roommates and I have the YSAs from our branch over for Sunday dinner. After dinner this past Sunday everyone went home and I sat down getting ready to unwind and prepare for a new week. Minutes after they all left I got a call from one of the girls that one of our guys friends had flipped his truck on our dirt road. I grabbed my brother and we rushed over… I wasn’t sure what we were going to find. As we drove up the dust was still settling and there my friend was walking around with minor cuts and bruises. I have never been so happy to see someone as in that moment. He just moved in our branch and I don’t even know him as well as some of the other folks that hang around, but I wanted to just hug him because of the joy I felt seeing he was okay. While I was cleaning the blood from his arms he was expressing his frustration at ruining his mom’s beautiful truck. Granted, that was not a good thing, but all I could think of was the gratitude that he was okay. Bad things are going to happen and we will go through trials where we lose much. In the end we have to work to find the lessons and the blessings of what is truly important. I want that to always be in my vision as I look forward to the future in business, education, and family. 

There really were so many powerful things from this week that really penetrated. There were many interesting moments this week and the lessons from this week brought sweet reminders of great strength. Another such lesson was when Elder Gay expressed to the audience of how they are special and that their covenants give them the power of God. I felt that on my temple shift this week. When we obey those covenants and do our part the Lord will pull us through, he will not take the burdens and hard things will happen but we will make them light. Sometimes I let myself become overcome with fear of the dreams I have, when in reality I need to trust and move into the storm. I have decided after listening to Elder Gay that Joy2theJourney is not for me, it is focused on rescuing and lifting others. 

Life of Balance...

I continue to be blown away about how the every week matches with real life events. I hit a wall this week of exhaustion, with everything going on in life I just felt a little done. That is never a great place to be in. However, the Lord will never leave you alone. On Wednesday nights I work in the temple as an ordinance worker and I was thinking about life and some of the recent struggles in life. I also thought about class and had the overwhelming feeling that I needed to find balance in my life.

I have a hard time with balance because I feel like there is always too much to do and I have a really really hard time saying no to things. I loved the quote about saying no in the video with Randy Komisar; "Never put yourself in a situation where you can't say no." I have always struggled with this principle and it is starting to take its toll. I am coming to a realization that it is vital to prioritize life and recognize our true stewardships. We also have to have a focus on service but also take the moment to take care of ourselves. I am learning that when we don't take care of ourselves we cannot truly help take care of others around us. It is a hard lesson to learn but it is vital to progression.

I really loved the lessons of this week and hope to work hard to apply them in my life. I want to follow the council of President Monson with his formula for success. These are the things I want to aim for with my business ideas. I know that the application in these things will help me find help with life and balance. It will also help me as I work for my dreams!

We also read the "Attitude of Money." I learned a lot from that as well. I have always been intrigued by money and very cautious with money. I used to never ever spend money but over time I have become a little more lax. Honestly, I feared money for a long time but now I see it as a tool that can be used for good. In the "Attitude of Money"  I especially enjoyed the rules behind wise use of money. I love the concept of including the Lord and commandments in money dealings. That way it helps keep things under better control. I also love the planning part. I think money planning and budgeting is so key to success. Money is something that also has to looked at with balance and caution but it is also important.

To Become...

I was especially excited for this week because of my insight from the interview and because of the reading of the talk "The Challenge to Become." That was the main theme of my mission president when I was serving in Washington DC. When we left he gave us all a special copy in a booklet of our president letters. He often used that talk to teach us as missionaries and encouraged us to continue after the mission to apply these incredible teaching. I love the thoughts of becoming being an ongoing process of conversion. It is a sweet reminder that we are here to become perfect like our Savior but that it doesn't happen all at once. It happens over time as we become truly converted. 

This made me think back to my mission and the connection I made to this talk and my work with cattle. Cattle are one of my greatest passions! One day while reading this talk on my mission and as I was going through a personal study on conversion. I thought of how being converted is having Christ branded on our hearts. I thought of cattle and how they are branded with an element of love by the rancher, to ensure that they will not be lost. When a calf is branded with the brand of it's owner, they, in a way, represent that rancher and send a sign to others of who they belong to. It is the same thing with conversion. When we choose to become converted we choose represent that we belong to our Savior. Of course conversion branding must be continued in order to ensure that it sticks, but the object of the lesson is quite powerful. 

This week I also mentioned my excitement over the interview. I chose my own own mother for my entrepreneur interview. She and my father are the perfect example of powerful entrepreneurs. Their story is one that inspires me to want to create a similar lifestyle for my own future family. This activity helped me connect on a newer level with my mother and the sacrifices made for my siblings and myself. Honestly, this really hit me because until now I never truly realized the impact this lifestyle has made in myself and so many others. As I talked with my mom and wrote my reflection paper, I wept with an incredible amount of gratitude. I know this journey is not easy, but I know that it is worth it! 

Leadership and discipleship

First off I feel like the quote from Woody Allen: "Eighty percent of life is showing up." That summed up some of my greatest learning this week. I have been really struggling with my schedule and all the things I have to do. In almost every aspect of my life right now I feel like I am somehow falling behind or just not doing good enough. This quote helped with the reminder that showing up a lot of the success. I know that we are our own worst critics and that we are often times doing better than we think we are, but it is still difficult to see at times. Especially when it comes to my dreams of Joy2theJourney. I don't feel that I put the time I need and want into this grand dream, but right now I need to just show up for a little while.

Another thing I really loved from this week was the Small "L" leadership. I have always loved that example of leadership with its greatest example, Jesus Christ. I think leadership and discipleship are some of my favorite things to learn about and most important to apply correctly. Recently we have add some issues at work with people I do not feel are using the small "L" leadership. There are too many people trying to control the situation and we are not doing what is needed for the students. There is tension and the students are starting to act out because of it. The example being set is not a good one, the vision is being lost, and the love that is so vital is not being demonstrated a Christ like way.

I hope to take the lessons from these situations and apply them in my own leadership. Right now I am a Para-educator, so my job is to assist the teacher and to follow their council on what is best for the students.  In many ways learning to be humble and learning to follow has made me a better leader and better at handling rough situations. I hope that I can work to be a light to there people and work to keep the example pure, vision clear, and Christ like love in the situation!