Fake It 'til you Make It!

If someone hands you a million dollars, you'd better
hurry up and become a millionaire. A very rich man once said, "If you took all the money in the
world and divided it equally among everybody, it would soon be back in the same pockets it was
before."

TO HAVE MORE THAN YOU'VE GOT, BECOME MORE THAN YOU ARE.

The above quote is from Kirk Weisler. I've often liked to think that if I "fake it until I make it" I will eventually make it. The only thing left to determine is this: what exactly does "making it" entail? If you don't have a goal in mind, you can't know when you've gotten there.

Think Before You Speak

"Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second." -William James

I have goals I set a million times- every new year, every birthday, every Monday :-). I wish I could complete those goals the first time...but for right now, I'll just keep starting.

Controlling my tongue is tough. I often let my responses to things be determined by those I'm around- not because I change my mind and believe what they say, just because I don't want to cause conflict, so I'll agree to move on with the conversation. I worry about offending people, about giving the answer the person I'm speaking with wants to hear- I want people to feel comfortable, which oddly enough can leave me feeling uncomfortable if I find that I don't know what I think about the subject, and I feel like I need to respond. It's scary, in a way, to imagine stating my own opinion- or even stating that "I haven't really thought about that"- but liberating just the same.

As of late, I've been trying hard to weigh each thing that leaves my mouth. It's difficult- I'm a talker by nature- and I slip into my old 'jabber jaw' ways here and there, but as I review the past few days, I feel proud. There's class in thinking before you speak, so I plan to keep trying. I have to think that eventually I'll run far enough on my 'first wind' to hold my tongue, so that I can devote my 'second wind' to developing my vocabulary- thereby saying more with less.

Sticking to it

"This one step - choosing a goal and staying to it - changes everything."

- Scott Reed

Setting goals? No problem.

Planning how to accomplish them? Easy.

Actually staying with the goal? Yikes.

As I've read about accomplishing goals, these are the things I've learned:

1. You have to have a core belief tied to that goal. Without it, the goal is more of a wish...not something you MUST accomplish.

2. You should tie it to something you already do, so it just becomes a part of your already established routine.

3. Visualize what life will be like once you've accomplished your goal.

4. Divide the goal into manageable steps with criteria you can measure.

5. Write it all up- your core belief, how you're going to do it, what life will be like when you've done it, and the steps to tick off as you move forward.

So could it really be possible that I could stick with it? Time will tell!

Keep Moving Forward

Happy Birthday Luke! We sent you balloons today, just as we do every year on your birthday. We watched until they made it to Heaven. Katie touched my face today- the way you always did. I knew it was you. Sometimes the days stretch so long that the day I'll see you again seems like it'll never come. Other days fly by, and I think, 'see, I can handle this!' And we can handle it- with our Father in Heaven guiding us and our Savior Jesus Christ supporting us, I know we can handle all things. We just keep moving forward. Love you Baby!

I've Only Just Begun

The last day of my 20s is here. I feel bittersweet about this- I was excited, but now I'm feeling a bit apprehensive. Thirty? Really? That's so old!!! It was a good decade- many of my 'life goals' were accomplished- If life was a recipe, I'd say I've added the major ingredients, and now it's time for the seasoning. :-) The fun has just begun!

In short, my twenties entailed:
- Living away from home
- Having my heart broken
- Finding an amazing man and marrying him
- Learning more about my body than I imagined possible (there's so much no one tells you....)
- Giving birth to three boys and one girl (including twins!)
- Learning how to live on very little sleep
- Graduating college with a bachelor's and a master's degree
- Owning a few homes
- Moving a few times
- Closing on a house by myself while hubby was serving Uncle Sam
- Owning a pet
- Giving pet to 'another family where he can have a friend'
- Learning to keep a plant alive
- Becoming a landlord
- Living outside of the country
- Earning a real salary
- Learning to cook
- Learning to bake homemade rolls and gigantic chocolate chip cookies....they melt in your mouth!!
- Undergoing surgery more than once (only twice dealing with child-birth)
- Learning to care for a home
- Come to appreciate the need for 'girl's nights'
- Hugging a shark (how crazy is that?!)
- Learning to accept the circle of life
- Learning to trust God and His path for our lives
- And so much more!!

To live up my final twenties, my hubby and I stayed up until midnight, ate ice cream and hot fudge, watched a movie, and enjoyed each other's company. We also made breakfast casserole so we wouldn't have to cook in the morning. He doesn't often join me in the kitchen, so this was a special treat he gave me for my birthday. :-) It was a wonderful end to an event-filled decade.

A glimpse of perfection

Peace.

Joy.

Serenity.

Family.

Love.

Calm.

Happiness.

Perfection.

Matthew 5:48 states, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven which is perfect."

Heavenly Father wants us to receive all these things. He has said, "The Lord giveth man no commandments unto the children of men, save He shall prepare a way for them that they might accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." (1 Nephi 3:7)

A command to be perfect, and a promise He will help us accomplish that command. Wow!! Just like this lighthouse, our Father in Heaven is always there providing a beacon, lighting our way, guiding our path....but we have to trust Him- seek out His direction- and follow where it leads.

Happiness is a Choice

Choose to be happy!

I LOVE pineapple. I usually eat it until I burn my mouth. I don't like when my mouth is burnt. So if I know what will happen if I down half a pineapple, why do I do it?

Self-control is a hard thing to exercise when it comes to something so EASY to indulge in. Pineapple, for one. Attitude, for another. Sometimes I think, 'I really shouldn't let this get to me'...and then I can't stop thinking about it, and it puts a damper on my whole day. I believe this is one of those instances where the easy thing is to indulge in the bad attitude. The hard thing is to smile amidst adversity and decide to be happy regardless of what happens.

As my Mom says, "The glass is ALWAYS half full."

Today I'm going to choose to be happy.

Steamrolling

Take care of it now or deal with it forever.

My sis says, "Eat the frog for breakfast." How often do I allow those things that need to be done to weigh on me before I finally bite the bullet and take care of it? It's such a release to finally do whatever it is that needs to be done, so why not do it NOW?

Or you can always Steamroll....

I am a steamroller at heart- someone who likes to get started on a project and go and go until it's done. If I run out of steam...the chances of me getting back to it and finishing it are SOOOOO slim. And this is why I steamroll. Plus- I love the feeling of completion. It's AMAZING how many things you can steamroll. Freezer dinners. Meal planning. Photo books for the year. Preschool curriculum. Party preparation. Home organization. The possibilities are endless!

A couple of days ago, I had every speck of laundry in my house fresh and clean... and folded neatly in the drawers- it was AWESOME! It lasted approximately 2 hours. Then my honey came home, took off his work clothes, and lovingly tossed them in the sparkling EMPTY laundry basket. Now, he did exactly as he should have- and I'm grateful. But a teeny part of me whispered *sigh.*

The thing is...like laundry, there are very few things in life you can steamroll through and call it good. Most of the time you are going to HAVE to do it again- and herein lies my problem. I'm never truly done...PLUS, if I'm steamrolling, typically the rest of my responsibilities fall to the wayside, so there's more to do now than there would have been had I kept up with the usual. Oops!

So what to do?! Time to slow down the steamrolling...as much as I love it....and figure out how to fit in time for a new project while keeping the rest of my responsibilities under control. We'll see!

Today I am grateful for sweet smelling lotion following a great workout and a long cool shower!

Welcome to Thirty

I'm here. Well, not quite- but in 5 more days I'll be here. THIRTY. The big 3-0. I'm excited, to tell the truth- a little nervous- but excited. 30s seem dignified. Grown up. Smart. Respectable. Less fun than 20s- more reserved- not because they HAVE to be reserved, but because they're less in need of the approval of others, so when someone wants them to do something crazy, they can respond with the answer they want to give- not the answer they think they SHOULD give. I think 30s begin to realize "being cool" is a bunch of fluff. 30s begin to have their "own way" and people learn to expect it from them.

So my quest for my 30s is this: discover who I am meant to be, and then....be. :-)