Courage

How would you define courage? I used to think that courage and bravery was pretty much that same thing. I think most people do. When I used to hear that words "She is a courageous woman" I thought of a woman that was strong. I picture a woman standing tall, which both feet planted firmly on the ground and her hands on her hips. Basically, I picture wonder Women.

I recently learned something along my quest of becoming my authentic self and making my voice heard. I was reading an article written by and amazing woman named Brene Brown. She said that about courage:

"The root of the word courage is cor -- the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage had a very different definition than it does today. Courage originally meant to speak one's mind by telling all one's heart.

Over time, this definition has changed, and, today courage is more synonymous with being heroic. Heroics are important and we certainly need heroes, but I think we've lost touch with the idea that speaking honestly and openly about who we are, about what we're feeling, and about our experiences (good and bad) is the definition of courage."

After I read this I asked myself, "Am I a courageous women?" When I speak my mind do I speak from my heart? I though about all of the times in my life when I was too afraid to say what I really wanted to because I was too afraid that people would see who I really was. I thought people wanted to see someone that was brave and strong and Wonder Woman-ish. I am now beginning to realized that people want to someone that is vulnerable, imperfect, authentic and human.

A dear friend of mind, said the her definition of courage is being your authentic self in all situations...regardless. Now when I hear the words, "She is a courageous women" I think of her, who lives her definition of courage each day. I think of a women who accepts her imperfections and knows that she is always worthy of love and acceptance. I think of all the women in my life who have taken chances, who have put themselves in vulnerable situations because they understand that to really live and love they must open their hearts

2013 = I WILL!

I know that New Year's was nearly three weeks ago and I'm a little late in posting my goals for this year.  I started writing down my goals right before the New Year, but then I got really busy with a few different things and sort of decided to put them on hold.  So I am not starting my goals right on January 1 and I am totally okay with that.  I feel like right now is the perfect time for me to write down my goals, make the commitment and start moving forward.

Last year I worked on my goals with the thought of "I CAN" to this.  This year, my focus is "I WILL" do this!  These are goals that are important to me (a few of them have been on my goal list for years!) and this is the year that I will get them done!  I know I can do it and I am committing now by saying I WILL DO IT!

1. Attend the temple at least 4 times this year. Seeing as this was one of my goals from last year and I not only completed it but was able to go 6 times during the summer, I thought I would try and do it again this year. So if I'm able to go again more this year GREAT, if not I'm still going to be able to complete this. I WILL DO IT!

2. I really want to travel more this year. So this year I WILL go out of the country. Weather it be on a cruise or to Europe or weather it be just to Mexico I WILL leave the country for the first time in my life.

3. Study a different gospel topic each week and focus on that topic all during the week.  I started this at the beginning of the year.  The first week I studied about Faith in Jesus Christ, last week I studied about Charity, the Pure Love of Christ and this week I am studying about Virtue. I definitely want to focus on being more spiritual this year and I know this will help.

4. Ride in a hot air balloon. This has always been a dream of mine. This year I am riding in a hot air balloon!!! It WILL happen!

5. Complete one sewing project and/or one craft project. Since I've never been real crafty or the greatest sewer I'm going to make at least one project just for fun. I WILL DO IT!

So there you have it! Those are my goals and I look forward to what WILL be accomplished in 2013! It's going to be an AMAZING year!!! 

Be an Answer to Someones Prayers

When I created my list of things to accomplish this year I knew it would be hard to measure whether or not I got this one done.  How do I know if I have been the answer to someone else's prayer?  I set this goal because I wanted to be more aware of others and seeking opportunities to do something kind for someone else.  I think we all sometimes get so caught up in our own lives that we just forget that we are here to help each other and that we have so much to offer other people to help make their lives a little easier.

Have I been an answer to someone else's prayer this year?  I hope so.  I pray and ask for inspiration that I will be in the right place at the right time to help someone else in need.  That's the best we can all do.  This is a lifelong goal of mine.  When I turn outside of myself and do kind things for other people my heart is filled with peace and love.  I definitely have a lot of work to do to become less selfish and more willing to serve, but at least I am heading in the right direction.

I have been given such a great life and I hope in turn I can be an answer to someone's prayer and help bring light and joy into their life as well.

Gratitude Unlocks the Fullness of Life

The quote posted below is my all time favorite quote about gratitude.  I heard it a few years ago when I was at church. A woman was visiting our congregation and was speaking to us about gratitude and miracles.  She had been married and had two children.  Her husband and daughter were at home and she was away from the house with her baby.   While she was gone, something went wrong, I don't really remember with what, and there ended up being an explosion in the house and her husband and daughter were both killed.

It was an incredibly sad story, but this woman spoke about how much she had loved her husband and daughter and how grateful she was for the time she was able to have them in her life.  She then shared this quote:

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." -Melody Beattie

I love how it says that gratitude can turn WHAT WE HAVE INTO ENOUGH, AND MORE.  When we are grateful we truly begin to realize the infinite amount of blessings we have in our lives.  A meal can turn into a feast, a house can turn into a home and a stranger can become a friend.  How awesome is that?!?

Wise Words on Graditude

November is labeled as the month of Thanksgiving.  Not only do we sit down and eat a giant turkey with all of the yummy trimmings, but many of us going around the table, each person expressing what they are grateful for.  It's a beautiful tradition and at times those expressions of gratitude are sincere and heartfelt.

I've noticed that many of my friends have spent the month of November posting daily on Facebook, and Instagram, gratitude for blessings in their lives.  I love it.  I think it's great to take a look at your life and realize the many blessings that you have.  When you sincerely look at your life I think you begin to realize that it takes much more than one month out of the year to thank God for all He has done.  Each new day adds new blessings and there is no way to keep track of them all.

I know I have a lot of work to do when it comes to expressing my gratitude and sometimes I wonder what I can do to best express my gratitude to God for my life.  I once read a quote that said something like "Expressing gratitude is a sign of greatness."  It's always stuck with me.  I think too often we forget where our blessings come from.  We think that we did it all ourselves or that everything that we have in our lives is there because we earned it.

I think gratitude is always a mark of humility and the willingness to recognize God's hand in our lives.  There is a scripture that says, "Where much is given, much is required."  I was thinking about that scripture this morning as I was writing in my journal and expressing gratitude to God for guiding my life and blessing me with so much peace and joy.   I realized that the best way for me to express my gratitude is to take all that God has blessed me with and use it to serve His children and love them.

Thank You To The Veterans

I love America! Thank you to all of those who have put their lives on the line, or given their lives, for the cause of FREEDOM. I know that without the brave men and women that have courageously defended our country we would not be as blessed as we are today. We live in a free country that was created by honest, God fearing men that dreamed of living in a land of liberty and freedom. I'm grateful for them and for each person that stands up to protect America and keep us safe. Thank you!

I Am Here: 100%

Have you ever been walking down the street or down a hallway and you see someone walking towards you and the thought of saying hi to someone you don't know makes you uncomfortable? So you instantly pull out your cell phone and pretend to be writing a text or making a call. Admit it, you've done that. And the person walks by and you close the phone and put it in your pocket, relieved that you just avoided having to connect with another human being.

I admit I have done that before. In fact, I have done it many times. I am a human being. I crave interaction and connection with other human beings, but when the opportunity comes along to say hello or give a friendly smile, I pretend to be distracted with something else.

We live in a society full of distracted people. We have cell phones, televisions, ipods, laptops and other devices that distract us from what we want most: connection. Our distractions keep us disconnected. One day I was pretty upset with myself when I realized that I had gone an ENTIRE DAY texting, chatting on facebook and sending out emails and NEVER ONCE opening my mouth and speaking to someone in person or on the phone. How crazy is that?

You can be anyone you want to be when you are texting or talking online, but only your true self can be heard when you actually look another person in the eyes and open your mouth and speak. So many of us have lost the ability to speak face to face. To be 100% in a conversation. To make ourselves vulnerable. When you speak to someone do you look them in the eyes? Do they look you in the eyes? A person's eyes are a window to their soul. I truly believe that. Our eyes express so much of who we are and how we feel. But we are all so busy looking away that we do not see the joy, the pain, the fear, the hope, the call for help and the excitement in the eyes of those around us.

I have been working on being more present in my relationships. I am working on putting the cell phone away when I am talking to somebody. I have noticed that I spend a lot of time on my laptop (or cell phone) and when I am around other people I get distracted with what I am doing online (usually useless facebook roaming) that I miss out on the conversation and have to ask people to repeat themselves. So I am learning to close the laptop. To really listen. To give support. To make myself vulnerable. To be a better friend. To connect. To let myself be present and to pay attention to what's most important.

I am even learning to get rid of the noise and the distractions when I am alone so that I can be more in tune with myself. Sometimes I will look at myself in the mirror and take a few minutes to really look myself in the eyes. When I search my own eyes I see who I really am. I feel a greater love for myself. I feel a stronger connection with God. When I look into my own eyes I see into my soul and remember who I truly am. And that is something my cell phone, my laptop or my ipod will never be able to do.

I am here. I am here 100%. When I catch myself turning to distractions to avoid human connection I am going to remember that human connection is what I really want. It is what we all want. When we all take the time to be 100% present in our lives we will be happier, more satisfied and more connected as a human family. When we get rid of the distractions we will find ourselves...and we will find that we are all fascinating human beings with incredible stories to tell each other - face to face, eye to eye and heart to heart.