Turn That Frown Upside Down.

I wanna take a break from some of the pre-written steps of success to write one of my own! Look at me, being all creative...I'll go back to the list next time!

1. You won't get anywhere without the right attitude.

Attitude is everything! If you don't have the right attitude about something, you won't get very far. Think about it. If you were asked to clean your room, and you did it with a grumpy disposition, were you very productive? Probably not. But if you did it with some good music going, happily dancing around...could you see the floor after a few minutes? I know I sure could!

Our mission came up with something called the Loser List. It's a list of attitudes or attributes that we don't want to have. It goes as follows...

The Loser List

Self-justification

Denial

Excuses

Blame

Apathy

Self-pity

Victim

Hiding

Running away

Lying

Covering up

Procrastination

Indecision

Rebellion

Anger

Judging

Gossiping

Complacency

Demanding

Giving up

Withholding forgiveness

Pride

Jesus taught that we should become like him. Are any of those things you can imagine Christ doing? I have a hard time seeing him giving up, or lying. He is the best example of the opposites of all these things. So what are some of those opposites? Lucky for you, I've already made a list!

The Winner List!

Self-justification/Responsible

Denial/Acceptance

Excuses/Accountability

Blame/Accountability

Apathy/Faith in Christ

Self-pity/Service

Victim/Prevail to the end

Hiding/Accountability

Running away/Faith in Christ

Lying/ Integrity

Covering up/Obedience

Procrastination/Diligence

Indecision/Knowledge, Faith in Christ

Rebellion/Humility

Anger/Patience

Judging/Contentment

Gossiping/Virtue

Complacency/Diligence

Demanding/Patience, Humility

Giving up/Hope

Withholding forgiveness/Charity

Pride/Patience, Charity

Doesn't reading all those good things make you feel so much better? Developing the attributes of Christ builds a better character, and that in turn builds a better attitude. If we turn to Christ and change our natures, we will find the best kind of success- the success of becoming who God knows we can be!

Prevail to the End, Part Two!

Per request, I am going to keep going with the 19 Things to Help You Find Success, and how the gospel of Jesus Christ can help you find that! I'll do two or three at a time till all nineteen are on here. The few for today are going to deal mainly with how to handle failure, or what the world would term as failure. So, to start...

1. You have to make mistakes and look like an idiot.

This is one of my favorites, probably because I am so good at it! However, I'm going to change this one a little bit. If I had written this, I would have taken out the part about looking like an idiot. 

We know that everything good comes from God. Satan, on the other hand, wants us to feel bad about ourselves, especially when we make a mistake. So, when you do goof up a little, don't spend time convincing yourself that you are dumb or stupid. Don't let anyone else convince you of that, either. Mistakes are a part of life!

Think of the story of Adam and Eve. From the Book of Mormon, we learn a little about what their life was like in the beginning. As you read this, pay attention to the fruits of Adam and Eve's mistake (see what I did there?).

"...if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin...Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."

-2 Nephi 2: 22-23, 25

If Adam had not eaten of the same fruit as Eve, we would not be here! Our Father in Heaven's plan would not have moved forward. Our mistakes, if we learn from them, will help us to progress. If we never did anything wrong, would we know what was right? If we always won every activity we did, would we know the motivation losing sometimes gives us? Would we appreciate what we have? The answer is no. God will make everything for our gain. So the next time you make a mistake, remember to take it as a chance to progress!

2. You have to try, fail, and try again.

Like we just talked about, failure is a part of success. The two always come together. Some people get stuck in the try, fail, and give up cycle. The task they are trying to complete starts to look unconquerable because they haven't made it in the first, or even the second try. Does this sound like something you have felt before?

The easiest way to get out of discouragement is to increase in hope. Hope will lead us to faith, and vice versa. For me, having a hope in Jesus Christ helps give me the desire to pick myself up and keep going. A favorite verse of mine in the Book of Mormon reads that,

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."

-Ether 12: 4

From that verse, I have come to understand that having hope in Jesus Christ will make me a sure and steadfast person. By being sure and steadfast, I will be lead to doing good things. Even if I don't see right away the results of those good works, I have hope that they are there, and I feel better about trying again. The Lord looks at our hearts. Are our desires in the right place? Any continuous act on a righteous desire can be counted as a success. What you learn in the process of trying, trying, and trying again will be more valuable to you than it would have been if you had completed something perfectly the first time.

3. You have to feel unsure and insecure when playing it safe seems smarter.

This is another really good one. Remember how we talked about growing pains? Lots of people know the phrase that if there is no pain, there is no gain. Think of some of the most rewarding experiences you have had. Did they come as you watched from the sidelines, enjoying a nice warm seat? Was it when you simply

strode on stage and received Participation award? Hopefully not! I would think that many of the rewarding experiences each of us have had come from those moments when we stepped out of the dark shell we call comfort and into the shining light of vulnerability. Nothing easy is ever worth it. The experiences that push us to walk a little straighter and stand a little taller are evidences that God is taking the time to work out our wrinkles. Because our Heavenly Father loves us, He wants us to become our best. In 2011, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said,

"“Look for the way that the Lord will consecrate your affliction for your gain...He loves you. He wants you to have the choicest blessings that God has for you. When we do the things that God has commanded us to do, it causes us to be closer to our Savior. We can hear His voice through the Holy Ghost. We can feel the peace He speaks to our hearts. And we can know that our feet are on the path that leads us to our Heavenly Father and to exaltation.”

-Dallin H. Oaks (https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/rising-from-the-rubble?lang=eng)

Don't be afraid to step out there! One of my past companions shared a story with me about her mother. Every time she would tell her mom that something scared her, her mother would encourage her to do it so that she could conquer her fear. Now, when she feels scared about something, she remembers the advice and support from her mom. Our Heavenly Father does the same for us. He prompts us to become better, and on occasion, that pushes us somewhere we haven't been before. The only change we need to be afraid of is the change that brings us farther away from Christ. Draw closer to Christ by overcoming your fears and becoming who our Father in Heaven knows we can be!

Prevail to the End

While going through one of my mission binders, I found a paper tucked in the back that I had forgotten about. It is called "19 Things to Help You Find Success". For the life of me, I can't remember where it came from, but as I read them again, I was struck by some of these principles! So many of us want to be successful. We want to achieve, to excel, and to progress. That is what we were sent here on earth to do. The way that we do that is by overcoming obstacles we encounter in our lifetime. I want to talk about two or three of the success points, and how the gospel of Jesus Christ helps us to overcome our challenges so that we can ultimately prevail.

1. You have to be kind to people who have been cruel to you. 

Marvin J. Ashton once said,

"Greatness is best measured by how well an individual responds to the happenings in life that appear to be totally unfair, unreasonable, and undeserved."

https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/to-this-end-was-i-born?lang=eng#gallery=

Not every relationship we have is going to be all sunshine and roses. When we choose to rise above retaliation and spite for wrong actions done to us, we choose to place ourselves on a higher ground. I can think of no better example of this than that of the Savior. He faced the worst kinds of mistreatment. He was spit upon, called names, and mocked on all levels. He heard thousands crying for his crucifiction. However, Christ's love for them overpowered their actions towards him. While on the cross, he plead with the Father on their behalf.

"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

-Luke 23: 34

Now, I am not perfect at this. However, the peace I have found from forgiving is incredible. Forgiving brings an increase of self-confidence that would otherwise hide under anger and frustration. If forgiving is hard, pray and ask God to help you love those that have harmed you. As you do your best to journey towards forgiving others, you will find that God will be your biggest support. The best way to counteract hate is to be filled with the pure love of God!

2. You have to invest in yourself even though no one else is. 

I do want to make a slight correction to this one. If I had been smart enough to write these, I would put that you have to invest in yourself because someone else is. You are a child of God! Could you imagine that, as his child, God would not do His very best to help you make the highest achievements possible? I love the way that Paul explains this concept.

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ...For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

-Romans 8: 16- 18

I love this! All of our hardships on earth don't even compare to the glory inside each of us! Doesn't that just make you feel a little more special? Growing pains are good, because it means that our loving Heavenly Father is taking the time to help us grow. We shouldn't back down from the divine potential bursting out of each of us! Marianne Williamson put it so beautifully when she said,

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

- Marianne Williamson

Don't live your life in fear believing that no one cares about you. Live in faith, believing that God is rooting for you and will help you shine!

3. You have to keep moving forward towards where you want to be no matter what's in front of you.

During this life, we must walk by faith. There are some things that we cannot see nor hear, but can still know with absolute certainty that they are there. Have faith that Heavenly Father has a plan for  you. Read your scriptures, pray, and be in places where you can feel his influence so that you can know what that plan is. Even if things don't seem to be working out, following the direction of the Holy Ghost will lead you to events and circumstances that will make you a better person. Matthew Holland, son of Jeffery R. Holland, explained that,

"Sometimes in response to prayers, the Lord may guide us down what seems to be the wrong road—or at least a road we don’t understand—so, in due time, He can get us firmly and without question on the right road. Of course, He would never lead us down a path of sin, but He might lead us down a road of valuable experience. Sometimes in our journey through life we can get from point A to point C only by taking a short side road to point B."

-Matthew Holland, Wrong Roads and Revelation, July 2005 New Era

I know that my experiences in life haven't all been pleasant, but I also know that each one of them has gotten me exactly where I needed to be and have kept me on the path of where I needed to go. Continue in confidence to follow the teachings of the Savior, even when it may seem that everything is fighting for you to stop. Continue in confidence to be an example of Christ, even if you have to stand as that example alone. I promise that as you keep moving forward in faith, you will find within yourself greater strength to make the best of all that this life will hand you.