Focus and remember.

I've got a lot I have to do in the next couple of days before Thanksgiving Break. My professors (at least two of them) decided to have everything due the day before break. And of course I work late both Monday and Tuesday since Tuesday is a Friday schedule, and I'm really worried I won't get my assignments done/turned, or my test taken. But I just need to be patient, take things one at a time and go slow. And, of course, ask my Heavenly Father for help. As long as I focus, and work hard, I think I will be fine. It's just a matter of finding my focus. Well, actually, I know my focus: it's my Savior. I just need to remember to focus on His help, and trust in Him, and do my part to work hard. He will bless me. I know He will. I just need to focus and remember.

Something that Sister DeVincent said in her talk in sacrament meeting today really stood out to me. She said, the Lord blesses those who want to improve.  I loved that! When you have a desire to improve, He'll help you.

Brother DeVincent said that as you keep the commandments, God will bless you as He says. It might take some time, but He will bless you.

In temple prep we talked about the blessings of the temple, and one thing that the Bushmans said was that going to the temple blesses us and brings us closer to the Spirit, and to our Heavenly Father. You'll never regret going to the temple.

In Relief Society, we talked about missionary work, and the main thing we talked about was loving them. Don't preach, don't tear down, or whatever. Just love them. Be yourself. Live the way you live, and answer questions they have. But don't force it on them. Just love them. When they're ready, they'll be able to move forward. We also talked about how we need to be living our lives in such a way that God can use us an instrument in His hands and to help move His work forward.

I am so happy for the things that I learned today! It was a relaxing day!

I'm so excited! The choir sang in sacrament meeting today and it was SO GOOD!! I am SO pleased with the way that the number turned out! We sang "For the Beauty of the Earth" and it was so pretty!! And now we get to focus on our Christmas music for the fireside in three weeks! Eee! Three weeks! That's so far away and yet, so close!! I'm super excited! The numbers are coming along nicely and I am just super ecstatic for the fireside! It's going to be really fun and spiritual! I can't wait!!

Hope you have a fun and safe week! Travel safely, for those traveling for Thanksgiving. Enjoy your time with family and friends. :)

Xoxo
Mattie

Happy New Year! Hope you have a bright new year! :)

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a fun and safe night! And I hope you left 2016 behind you–2016 was so yesterday. ;)

On a more serious note, I'm grateful for what was spoken on in sacrament meeting today. I learned some new things about setting goals, such as:
-Setting goals brings out the best in us
-We shouldn't wait for the perfect time to set goals because there is no perfect time.
-Goals give us purpose

I also learned some new tips for setting goals:
-Start now
-Keep an eternal perspective
-Find what works for you
-Accept that you will fail (maybe not all the time, but you will fail)
-No matter how many times you fail, remember that Heavenly Father is proud of you for trying.

I'm so excited for this new year–we're learning from the life of President Gordon B. Hinckley in Relief Society this year and I can't wait! I love(d) President Hinckley and am so excited to learn from and about him in this upcoming year.

As this new year is beginning, I have some New Year's Resolutions, as I'm sure we all have, on my mind that I'm hoping will help me become a better and different person. One of the main ones I have this year is to try and consciously focus on my Savior every week. I'm hoping that this will help guide my attitude towards life to be more positive. I know that there are some personal things I have to work on and trying to consciously focus on my Savior should help. The first couple weeks will probably be the hardest, but as I continue to focus and make it a habit, it will become easier. I'm grateful for my Savior and for each and every opportunity I have to change and become a better person. I'm hoping that 2017 will be a great refreshing year. And who knows–maybe I'll jump out of my comfort zone a bit. :)

I hope you all take some time today and this week to ponder what you want to work on in this new year. Don't forget to pray and ask Heavenly Father for help if you need it–I promise that He wants to help you become who you were meant to become this year. I love you and wish you a wonderful and amazing new year! :)

Xoxo
Mattie