A Life of Service

This week we studied about how we need to care for each other both in our personal lives and as we consider what we want to do in our professional lives.  I remember listening to Elder Jeffry R. Holland’s talk, “Are We Not All Beggars?”  In conference a few yeas ago and being impressed by its power.  Reading it again this week, I noticed a different part of his message.  What I noticed can be summed up when Elder Holland quoted “because I have been given much, I too must give.”  My family has struggled financially for many years.  We have remained below the poverty level for our entire married life.  Our story is complicated, but it has been a long struggle through multiple jobs, mental illness, bearing children, and gaining an education.  That being said, Heavenly Father has always made sure that my family has more than enough for our family.  For many years my focus has been on making our money go as far as possible.  In the past year we have been led to a path that is leading us to financial stability.  Hearing this talk again from this point in my life, reflected on the gratitude I have for the many people and blessings I have received to get me where I am now.  I also realized that I want to be that blessing for others who are in need.  I’m not sure yet what I am able to do to lift others beyond what I have been doing, but I know that I need to search it out.

I also learned about the need to make any of our business endeavors meaningful to us.  We need to seek a way to help others.  We need to find the thing that we do well and use it to bless the lives of those around us.  We could take whatever job comes across our path that earns us money, but that may not be the job that Heavenly Father has called us to accept to help us become the person He wants us to become.

Perspective and Priorities

There are 2 things that stood out to me the most this week.  The first thing that stood out to me is how many different ways there are to approach the same situation.  In our casa study discussions, I had felt so sure that I was following my conscious and that was good enough.  As I read the responses, I realized that my solutions were short sighted and only focused on my immediate needs.  In the case study about Hopkins I had not considered how the wife’s actions were not entirely fair to the husband if her grievances had not been communicated to him.  In the case study about the dance recital, I had not considered that I could use my any spare time I had to take care of my client and being there for him, then going to the recital. These things seem so clear until we see them through another’s eyes.  It drove home to me the importance of keeping people around me that can help me see the better alternative.

The other thing that stood out to me is the importance of finding balance in my life.  It is something that I struggle with daily between a full-time job, 6 children, and part-time schooling.  There are times I have to make choices where one part of my life gets less time and attention in favor of something more important.  It is hard to find that balance and know when the right time is.  If we stay close to the spirit and make sure that we have our priorities in order, we should be able to keep a good balance.  I was particularly interested in what Randy Kosimar has to say about balancing your life.  He indicated that our priorities shift as life goes on.  Some things will be most important at one time, then less important another.  What is essential is that we keep re-evaluating our priorities and adjust our balance accordingly.

Who Will I Become?

This week we read a talk given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks called “The Challenge to Become.”  In this talk, Elder Oaks discusses the difference between evaluating ourselves based on actions versus evaluating ourselves based on our desires and who we have become.  This is a topic that I think of and struggle with often.  I know that I am a good person who does good things and am doing my best to follow the Savior and become like Him; however, I sometimes encounter people who are closer to becoming like Him than I am and realize how far I still must go.  It is important that we not only do good things, but we also desire to do good things.  I struggle to become more than I am every day; I call it growing pains.  When we go through trials in life, we need to do more than just endure them; we must learn from them and become better people.  It is through our trials and our experiences that we become the person that our Heavenly Father knows we can become.

This principle can be applied in our professional lives as well.  We should have dreams of what we wish to achieve in our professional lives.  Like our spiritual selves, we cannot achieve these goals by staying the same person all the time.  We must learn and grow constantly.  As we do, we become better, more valuable workers who can achieve greater things than we could before.  To reach for our dreams we need to seek out the skills and people we will need to help us get there.  We must be constantly rowing and changing to achieve our big dreams.

I was also interested in learning bout Google’s “20% time” from Marissa Mayer’s video “License to Pursue Dreams.”  It was fascinating to me that if you invest just 20% of you time into your dreams, you can create great things.  What I found so fascinating about this is the idea that you could potentially achieve your dreams if you give it just 20% of you time.  You can work on a goal while still having time for a career and your family.  Dreams and goals do not need to be held back by the need to sustain employment if you can invest 20% of your time.  That is less than 34 hours a week or just under 5 hours a day each day.  Right now, I am spending that time working on my dream of getting a bachelor’s degree.  I am interested to see what goals I will be able to achieve after that.

Leadership

I have enjoyed learning about what it takes to be an effective leader this week.  I especially enjoyed reading about Jim Collin’s book Good to Great and “Leadership with a small ‘l’” by President Kim B. Clark.  From the time I was a teenager, I was told that I have leadership potential.  I have never been able to see it in myself, and have rarely had a chance at church, school, or work to use it.  Knowing that leadership was supposed to be part of my life had become somewhat disheartening to me, as I could not see myself in that position.  Reading the summary of Collin’s book helped me see the qualities in myself that would help me become an effective leader.  Reading the qualities of a level 5 leader helped me to see which ones I have that can qualify me for leadership.  I can work on these qualities to become a more successful leader. 

President Clark’s talk showed me how to lead in the Saviors way and be a leader in my home.   He teaches that we need to lead by example, with vision, and with love.  The Savior is the perfect example of a leader.  To become a leader like him, we must study the scriptures and attend church meetings.  If we study his life and his attributes, we can learn to be better leaders in our home and at work.  We can also pray to help us develop these skills as well.

After this week, I have found that becoming a leader is possible if I am willing to develop the skills and talents that I have.  It is also important that I use my skills for righteous purposes, and not simply for my own gain.  I know is I stay close to the spirit, I will be able to become the best version of me.

Hang in There!

This weeks learning really hit home for me.  As the mother of 6 young children with a full time job, trying to finish her online degree, I frequently feel tired and overwhelmed.  Sometimes I wonder if it is all really worth it, and think that maybe I should just put off my degree until the kids are a little older, or I’m able to get more sleep, etc… The list seems to me as never ending.  When I start to feel exhausted, sad, or drowning I let myself think about it, for just a moment.  What if I did stop now?  What if I put it off until and easier time.  This may seem counter intuitive, but it helps me see it from all angles.  The answer is always the same: this is a temporary state, there is not going to be a time when it is easier, and I am doing this so that my family will have the security we so desperately crave.  As I said this lesson hit home.

Elder Holland taught us that good times will be ahead if we can keep moving forward.  If we push through the trials, we will find light and joy.  I have seen this in my own life, and look forward to seeing the light get infinitely brighter.  I also enjoyed listening to Elder Holland’s talk, “However Long and Hard the Road.”  His perspective on the many different trials that other saints have faced over the ages has helped me know that I am not alone, and many have made it through great trials before me.  I was especially touched by the story of the many hardships the saints endured as they built the Sat Lake Temple.  I drew similarities to my own life, realizing that on the other side of such trials are great blessings.  I can also apply this in my career.  If I keep pushing forward and doing my best, I will be able to find opportunities to learn grow, and advance my career.