Hmm...

Not the entry I had planned on, but I need to keep my promise to write each week.

Last week I made a goal to set goals, meditate, and write in my journal every day.
As a whole I failed with these.  I didn't set specific goals for each day, even though I had a weekly goal with specific items for each day I needed to set goals for each day as they came.  I also didn't do too swell at actually doing them.
Meditating was okay, I did it most days but often it wasn't planned and happened when I went to bed and I couldn't fall asleep.
I only wrote in a journal once.

I think the biggest obstacle for me this week was my sleeping habits.  I have been going to bed late and getting up late as well.  I need to be getting to bed at a decent hour and waking up earlier.
Setting specific goals for each day will also help with doing all these things.
I'm setting a goal to go to bed at 10pm every night and waking up at 7am every morning during the week.

So when failure strikes, or is chosen, I want to overcome and so I will be focusing on these 3 things again in this coming week and will report again at the end.

The Lighthouse

Most families have problems.  Mine seems to have more than our fair share.


    When I was a teenager I struggled a lot with life.  I wished with all my heart that I had an older brother who was such an amazing role model that I could look up to and try to be like.  Someone who I felt I was able to go to to cry on, to confide in, and ask for help with the many problems that I was dealing with. A brother who was strong and faithful and would be an example of righteousness.
    (I didn't realize it for far too long thought that I did actually have an Older Brother to look up to, who would help me with all the things that I was dealing with and would always be there for me.)

    Last night as I lied awake in my bed thinking about my life and the current situation in my family it led me to reflect on those feelings that I had that long time ago.
I realized that the role that I so desperately wanted and needed those years ago, was in fact my own.

I am to be that big brother to my sisters!

Leah.  Emma.  Breanna.
    I promise to be the best brother that I can possibly be.  To be there when you need a shoulder to cry on.  To give you love when you need it the most.  To help you see your worth and how amazingly awesome you are. To be the person you can come to when you need advice, or comfort, or anything.
    I want to be your best friend.  We can do anything together and have a blast because we love being together so much! Let's spend more time together doing things we love.
    I will treat the women that I date with respect and kindness, so that you will know how you should be treated by other men, and know how to build wonderful relationships built on trust.
    I want you to be able to know what a righteous Priesthood holder looks like so that one day you will be able to find one who will take your hand and be married for Eternity in the Temple.
I know the Church is true and I love to see how you are trying your hardest to do what's right.
    You are each very different with wonderful strengths.  Use these to find joy and to become better friends with each other. I am so grateful that I can be your brother.

I write this to you, my beautiful sisters, with all the love that I have for each of you.

The Hydra of Accomplishment

Well I wasn't able to find my book to do a quick review of the sections I liked the most. So instead of talking about what I said I was going to be talking about I'm going to save that for next week and bring up what has been on my mind this week.

There are three things that when harnessed and used together are a tremendous power for getting things done and finding your greater purpose.

These three things are:
Setting Goals
Meditation
Keeping a Journal

They're also things that I fail pretty hard at on a regular basis.  It is a challenge to remember and make time to do these every day.

Let's start with setting goals.

    I am learning drums and really, really, really! want to be able to play the song "Sing Sing Sing"
So my goal is to be able to play it in two weeks.  Great! Now I have a goal.

    What do I need to do each day so that when the two weeks is up I will be able to play this great song and accomplish my goal?

    Well for starters I have to practice my fundamentals.  Working on my stroke. Strengthening the dexterity in my left hand, which is my weak hand, so I can play evenly and have greater muscle control.

    Then there is the rhythm. Practicing with a metronome while hitting the proper accents to make sure I am rock solid on every beat.

    I also need to work my independent coordination.  Each hand and leg is moving differently throughout the song and I need to train each to do it's job at the same time and still be able to focus on the music.

    I will practice an hour each day, spending 20 minutes in each area of focus.

    I also need to be flexible with this goal.  After a few days I will be feeling more confident with some of the areas than others.  So I might decide to spend 30 minutes on independent coordination, while just doing 15 on the other two.  Or I feel like I'm not making enough progress with an hour, so I need to go to an hour and a half, or two hours of practice.

    The most important part of a goal is to sticking to it.  I'm not going to let myself go to bed/out with friends/etc. until I have done this!

Taking time to Meditate is very important.  And it's not humming to yourself with your legs crossed in your lap like Rafiki from the Lion King. :)

Meditation is spending time with yourself, alone, without any distractions.  You just sit, think, ponder, and reflect.

    It helps to be in your favorite place.  Which could be your bedroom, on the swing in the backyard, or out in the woods somewhere.  Each place will give you different perspectives and insights so after you get used to the process, get creative with where.

     You need to spend at least 30 minutes meditating.  More time is always nice if you can spare it.

Think about your goals.  About your life.  Are you happy?  Are the goals you have set things that you really want?  Let your mind wander and see where it takes you.  What do you feel you could be doing better at? What do you feel like you need to be doing that you aren't?

    Daily reflection like this will open your mind to greater heights and enlightenment. Help you recognize your Destiny and how to get there.

Least favorite of mine is keeping a journal.

I should enjoy it! but it's so hard, yet so worth it as well.

    Keeping a journal is like having a review with myself of how the day went. Time to account for how well I did with my goals that I set.  Did I do all the practicing that I promised myself I would?  What about my other goals?  What did I see today that made me smile?, glad that I was alive?  What was the kindness that was shown to me and who did I treat kindly in return?

    Days where I don't do too well I REEEAAALLLYY don't like writing in my journal because I know how bad did. I still need to write down some of the things that I did right though.  Even with having had a bad day, not EVERYTHING about it was horrible. Remember those things that were good.

I struggle with all of these things.  I like setting goals but I am not specific enough nor committed as much as I need to be.  I love the time when I get to meditate and just reflect on life, but I have a hard time being alone without distractions and making the time to do it.

The three working together will help you create direction in your life, understand yourself deeply, know which direction you should be creating, and make you answer to yourself in total honesty on how you're doing. You make greater and greater strides in what you are able to do each day and feel a great sense of accomplishment.

This next week I am going to diligently apply these three tasks!  I will I will I will!!! (getting myself pumped! It will be an awesome week!)
I'll let you know how it goes. :D

The start of a new journey!

I'm not sure exactly how to start this.  I rarely do, but I know I need to so here we go!

I've been wanting to make this first entry for about two weeks now, but I've kept letting things get in the way, and also avoiding it.

The biggest reasons I feel are the cause of this are:
1.  I haven't been exactly sure on what I wanted this blog to be and didn't have the vision which it needed.
2.  I've been putting other things before it, which is a bad habit of mine.  I struggle to define my priorities, and even once I do I have trouble staying true to that.  That's is going to be the focus for my personal development this week.  (but not this entry!) :)
3. Writing has always been difficult for me.  Not all of it, but parts of it.
Like beginning.  When starting a new paper I feel like I have to have something amazing right from the first line, and so I sit there and stare at a blank page while trying to figure out what it is I want to write.
I also falter at times when I have a partly formed idea which I either have a hard time completing in my mind or I'm struggling with putting it into the right words which will make sense.

So now that that's out of the way, I would like to formally introduce my new blog!

In search of Destiny!

What is Destiny?

I have always had a strong feeling that I have a great Destiny, and that I am going to do many great things!

To me Destiny is the life, mission, or path(whatever you may call it) that we are created to accomplish!

Fulfilling this mission will change the world!, the people we know, and most importantly, me!(or you!)

It will also bring joy and happiness.

    In case you still have some doubts as to what the concept of Destiny is that I am trying to portray, here are some examples of people who have fulfilled theirs:
    George Washington is such a huge hero of mine.  He is without a doubt the first American, and the man who was able to make it all happen. I could go on an on about everything that I find amazing in this man, but the main part is that what he did, leading the American colonies in the war against Britain, and being the first President of the United States made this country and all that it is today! Without him there would be no United States.

     Luke Skywalker helped his father fulfill his Destiny in bringing balance to the force, as well being a key player in fighting against The Empire.

    Another hero, and a personal mentor of mine, is Nephi.  Nephi was a young man when he left his nice home with his father and the rest of his family to travel to a new land to escape captivity from another nation.

Nephi had his struggles but he always seemed able to overcome them and deal with things in the best possible way. He became the beloved leader of his people and I feel that if it wasn't for Nephi, Lehi and his family never would have made it to the promised land.

So now that we know what Destiny is how do we find it?  What is my Destiny?  What is yours?

This is likely to be the most difficult question that a person can answer in this life.

    That is what I want this blog to be about.  The search for Destiny!

Not only mine, but yours too, and the things that we do to find it out.

I now want focus on some of my feelings and thoughts from a conversation that I had with a dear and trusted friend.

    The world sometimes feels like a depressing place.  You've seen many things to support that paradigm so we won't dwell there.  It can be hard for people like you and me to want to face another day when it seems like we are stuck in a rut and making no headway.

    I feel that everyone has an amazing Destiny that they need to fulfill.  You. Me. The person who you walked by today that you didn't say hello to. Everyone!

    There seem to be many who don't really care about life or what they do.  They are just here, alive but not really living. At least not living the life that they could be if they wanted to. They 'go with the flow' all their life.

    Some people don't aspire to be great or do great things because they don't believe in themselves. Or maybe they don't know what they can be.

I think that's it! ( <---Epiphany moment right here)

    They've never had their minds opened to know that they can be amazing! To be creators of great things or the bringers of new paradigms and ideas!

Everyone has greatness in them.  It needs to be awakened.  I believe in people.  I have seen the goodness that mankind can bring and it is within each of us.

    You need to know that you do have a Destiny.  They do too.  This greatness is a part of that.

I don't know all that my Destiny is.  In fact I probably know very little.  There are things that I do know.  Maybe I'll share some at another time.

If you feel like you want to take this journey of yours with me, the journey of finding yourself and your purpose, take about an hour and list the things in life that you LOVE.

    Write them down. Everything that comes to mind.  Like food.  Hobbies. Places or jobs that you have worked. Please don't list just things that you have done but the things you feel like you would like to do as well.

    You have passion for the things that you do because they feel like part of you. They are home. And they play a part in your Destiny so embrace them and learn more about them.  You will find out more about yourself too.

    This has turned out to be a bit longer than I wanted my first post, but these are the things that I feel will set the stage for what I want this blog to be.  I will cover a little of what I have written today in my post for this week which will have to do with some of my impressions I had after finishing a book I had been reading for a while.

    My plan is to write at least once a week to help me better understand myself along this journey...

In search of Destiny

P.S.  On the right is a list of the things that I want to do while alive!  I will update and put more things on there as I think of them. :)