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!