A New Year!

"With every new day, a new dawn comes--not only for the earth but also for us. And with a new day comes a new start--a chance to begin again."

happy new year!

I know, it is January 19th. I finally found a minute to jot down a few thoughts on here...

2013 was indescribably monumental. First year of marriage, graduation from BYU, new (real-life) job,  discovering love and life like I never have before. Man, it rocked! Best one yet, in fact. 

So what is 2014 looking like??? 

Lately, I am growing in my role as a teacher. 

The last 6 months I have been teaching every weekday and many Sundays. On average, I am teaching 6 out of every 7 days of the week. I have never worked so hard at a job in my entire life. I eat, breathe, and sleep teaching. I am always creating some master simulation to help the students grasp the information better, staying up-to-date on current information, or brainstorming a new method to help a certain student or class. I feel that I am being stretched and pushed in ways play-doe would only envy. I can do hard things. I still have a lot of work to do but I am seeing more and more who Heavenly Father wants me to be. It has been a blissful, emotion-filled, experience. “In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.”  

However,

If I am going to stay sane, I need to work on a few things--> Goals for 2014: 

 

1. Me Time.  A quick run, learning a new hobby, spending more time reading and pondering scriptures, being out in nature, spending time w/ people I love, writing a letter to a friend, going to the temple, challenging myself more with my camera, praying longer, etc. It is MAKING time to disconnect and recharge those batteries, every day.  Have you ever felt your life is completely out of balance? Well…mine is. Extremes are easy, I need balance.

 2.  Eat. I know, this one is kind of absurd. I am not only striving to eat healthy...but really, I just need to eat. To eat consistently, period. I run from one thing to the next and before I know it, I am beyond starving and I am about ready to break. I let others needs come in front of my own and really, I can’t keep doing that—I need to eat!

3. Be Kind to Yourself.  Why is it so easy to pick ourselves apart for our imperfections? It’s okay to make mistakes. In fact, most of the time, we won’t do something the first time perfectly. 

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” {Albert Einstein} 

We need to give ourselves a break and not let the negativity seep into our happiness. We all have so much to offer—don’t compare and don’t condone. Don’t run your life trying to please everyone because, guess what???? YOU WILL NEVER PLEASE EVERYONE. Do the very best with what you have and don’t sweat the rest.

 

4. Be brave. I want to continue striving to push myself outside of my comfort zone. I have come to discover that my comfort zone is shrinking as I continue exploring new opportunities. I am more confident. This year, I am going to do things that scare me and not let fear keep me from jumping in with both feet. “Even the bravest of creatures have some fears but it is not enough to stop them from moving in the path they are destined to walk upon.”

5. Love. As I have been pulled in all different directions, I know the place I want to be the most. I work endlessly serving hundreds of other people every day that I am tired when I come home to serve the people that have been there through it all, the people that I will have forever, the people that I love the MOST. I want to serve my sweetheart and other loved ones better. I want to continue exuding love. Love for God, for others, for uncontrollable situations, and for myself. 

“Where there is love there is life.” {Mahatma Ghandi}

these are just a few things I thought were worth sharing. I can't wait to get started! How about you? What are you hoping to discover, change, or improve this year?

happy new year, friends!

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Another thing we need to remember when it comes to setting goals is this: We almost certainly will fail—at least in the short term. But rather than be discouraged, we can be empowered because this understanding removes the pressure of being perfect right now. It acknowledges from the beginning that at one time or another, we may fall short. Knowing this up front takes away much of the surprise and discouragement of failure.

When we approach our goals this way, failure doesn’t have to limit us. Remember, even if we fail to reach our ultimate, desired destination right away, we will have made progress along the road that will lead to it. And that matters—it means a lot. Even though we might fall short of our finish line, just continuing the journey will make us greater than we were before.

You don’t need an invitation before you start moving in the direction of your righteous goals. You don’t need to wait for permission to become the person you were designed to be. You don’t need to wait to be invited to serve in the Church.

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf