Are You Making Your Dreams a Reality or Keeping Them Safe as a Fantasy?

My dear friends, I desire to share with you a collaborative effort to achieve fulfillment. A journey that will strain every fiber within your mortal character. A journey so courageous, so valiant, so worthy that you can no longer hide behind the fear of the unknown. You will embrace your fears. You will become a Master of your emotions and circumstance. Your new journey will exponentially increase your transition from a little baby to a leader.

Each one of you have been given specific gifts or talents since your birth. Some of those gifts are still locked within your heart and mind. Those gifts need to come out and talents perfected in order to bless your life and the lives around you. Everyone has the opportunity and ability to help.  However, some of you may have delayed your journey because of being told that your idea is of little value or that you do not have enough experience or worse that you have little value in anything that you do.

Everyone who dares to dream has received thoughts or impressions to create or better something or influence someone. Your life's journey will bring fulfillment as you pursue your gifts or talents. Take action and never lose sight to enjoy the journey, no matter how many near successes you encounter.

This leads me to the next important step in your journey. That is to be prepared. Do your best in performing research with your next endeavor. You must know that each one of you have unlimited potential to accomplish anything your righteous heart desires.

Live your life with humility and gratitude. Be teachable in everything you do. Welcome criticism and even chastisement from others with an opportunity to learn, grow, modify, and improve your life and/or company. In this will you find fulfillment in always looking forward to tomorrow. You will find strength to endure to the end. Keep in mind the importance of reflection. Allow yourself reflection of the past and the present so you can make the necessary adjustments for a better tomorrow. You will discover that unless you reflect on your past to make a better future that you will re-live your past repeatedly throughout your life's journey. Live with gratitude in such a way that your life is wonderful right now. You will see blessings that will improve for the better your current circumstance. Far too many near success stories have occurred simply because pride entered ones heart and polluted the mind of creativity and discernment.

Now go and take your next step in your life journey. It is taking each step that will get you to the top of the stairs. One step at a time allows you to reach the other side of a street and so it is step after each step that takes you onto fulfillment to reach self-actualization each day. You will receive guidance from Heaven above and you will help take part in a better tomorrow while helping others along the way.

From within You!

The Book by Jeff Sandefer and the Rev. Robert Sirico called “A Field Guide for the Hero’s Journey” offers to us principled perspectives that apply to living our lives with meaning and significance. Wonderful poems, insights, and statements are provided throughout this book to help enlighten the mind and bring a sense of urgency to reflect on the way one acts every day.  

We learn from an early age whether to look at life with hope or despair. The Sun is either always shining or dark clouds and rain are always expected. This difference between an optimist and a pessimist is related to whether the glass is half-full or half-empty of water. This book allows us to balance our lives so that we can learn to be a more optimistic when the glass is empty and more pessimistic when the glass is full.

We live with various forms of fear and concern. We might even give up when things are going well for us. An Edgar A. Guest (1881-1959) Poem called “CAN’T” addresses such hopelessness. Here are some highlights from that poem:  “Can’t” is the worst word that is written or spoken. “Can’t” is the father of feeble endeavors. Ambition and courage it crushes daily. Refuse it the lodging it seeks in your brain. All that you dream of you someday shall gain. Whatever the goal you are seeking, keep trying.   Answer this demon by saying: “I can.”

This book contains thoughtful questions to help you evaluate how you are at this point in your life. Questions like, “Do you tend to rush into things, or hesitate too long?” “Are you a perfectionist who always demands the best, or are you satisfied with better-than-before?” How about an alarming question such as, “Who would continue to stand by you?” in times of life-threatening scenarios from bankruptcy, cancer, divorce, or disability.

You can go around in life feeling sorry for yourself and quit whatever you start or you can choose to see problems as opportunities, as challenges spurring new ways of thinking and personal growth.  Just as climbing a mountain or lifting heavier weights, adversity builds mental, emotional, and spiritual muscle. Challenges build character. A letter from Paul to the Romans says, “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”  We must live our lives with hope.  After all, are you ready to stop any negative chatter in your thoughts, and replace it with a vision of possibility and achievement? Your life bigger than this one moment.  In the midst of a setback, will you give in to despair or use the wings of your imagination to look ahead to better days?

I have reflected upon the following as it applies to friends, family and myself. The devastating outcome in times of despair can lead everyone to go down with the ship. Remember, you need to be diligent in looking forward and upward to gain the ultimate prize. You need not do this journey alone and you can rally those around you to uplift and strengthen each another.

I have found myself in great need of adjustment according to the chapter regarding rest.  Unfortunately, I have misunderstood the importance of rest. The authors’ state, “You might be so industrious that you neglect one crucial aspect of any long journey: rest!” You will find yourself more in tune with God and your fellow man when you adequately rest or sufficiently sleep. A proper balance of work and leisure will eventually allow you to learn to carry over certain elements of rest into your work. There is a need to reflect and recharge. How amazing the design of the gospel from the Lord to take every seventh day as the day of rest. One should spend a day without distraction to rest, reflect, and listen to that still small voice. Rest is more than the mere conversation of energy. I am adjusting my life to have an adequate amount of rest. It is extremely difficult to re-train my body to accept resting beyond my typical 2-4 hours a day. I have begun to live my journey with rest and reflection. I have found a deeper understanding with the things that I do on a daily basis and in life. I wish you great joy and reflection as you too read this book and good skill to you with your life’s journey. 

You can find this book on Amazon by clicking the following link. 

A Field Guide for the Hero's Journey

A Life of Fulfillment Through Gratitude.

I wish to share with those that read this posting, the incredible reflection perspective regarding the fulfillment that comes from living a life with an Attitude of Gratitude. I referenced the link to the online article below provided by President Thomas S. Monson. I desire to share two of the many impactful thoughts I was left with after reading his talk. 

The first significant thought I have gained from reading this general conference talk is when President Monson said, “We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude.”

I have experienced various circumstances where a couple and/or family speaks with extreme negativity towards one another. I have even found myself to be self-deprecating at times when striving for perfection. Such negative comments and/or feelings are detrimental to growth in both health and emotional development. We can live with peace and joy even in the most grievous of circumstances as we live with gratitude and charity. 

The second significant thought I wish to share is the gratitude for our mothers. President Monson said, “who willingly made that personal journey into the valley of the shadow of death to take us by the hand and introduce us to birth—even to mortal life …” My mother sacrificed a lot in her youth in order to bring me into this world. Her steadfastness against all adversity has taught me to stand firm in my beliefs and allow no one the satisfaction of persuading me away from the truthfulness of the gospel. I will be forever grateful for the sacrifices, the joy, and unconditional love my mother has willingly shown in raising me.

I hope you enjoy the talk as much as I did. 

Attitude of Gratitude by President Thomas S. Monson.