So last sunday in relief society we had a wonderful lesson given by a wonderful lady named Chanelle!! it was apparently a super last minute lesson but i gotta say it was TOTALLY inspired.. hah so i decided to take some notes and blog about it. in her lesson two lists were mentioned that stuck out to me. i will share and expand!! :)
List 1: How to Live the Abundant Life
(or the ABC's)
A) change your inner ATTITUDE, and other aspects of your life will begin to follow suit.
B) BELIEVE in yourself, in those around you and in eternal principles.
C) face your challenges with COURAGE
List 2: Important things to Remember While Preparing yourself for HIM :)
(or the 123's)
1. just cuz suzy's getting married, doesn't mean its the right time for you. everybody's life is different, don't spend your time comparing.
2. being single is not a cause for embarrassment. but waiting and wasting for that to change sure is.
3. give yourself every opportunity possible to grow as a single woman.
4. remember that preparing for marriage and looking forward to it doesn't necessarily mean letting it consume your life.
5. marriage in and of itself has never changed and unhappy person into a happy one.
THANKYOU CHANELLE!!!!!!
So if you haven't already figured it out, my name is Maddie Graham and I'm a member or the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints.... or, I'm a Mormon. :)
I'm nearing my twenties and at this point in an LDS woman's life, marriage becomes a pretty big deal. well for most that is. there are some that really don't care for it, some that are all fine and dandy, and then there's the ladie4s who run around like chickens with their heads cut off after they turn twenty one screamin "WHY ARENT I MARRIED YET?!?!" and that is what this post is all about. lets start with the second list.
1) just cuz suzy's getting married, doesn't mean its the right time for you. everybody's life is different, don't spend your time comparing
COMPARING IS BAD! NO NO!
some people are ready for marriage light years before others, for reasons that can't necessarily be explained. don't fret if you're nearing your twentieth birthday and you haven't experienced your first kiss.. ITS OKAY, you're not retarded. being single is a privilege in itself, you have to embrace that before marriage even becomes an option. and that brings us to numero dos!!!
2. being single is not a cause for embarrassment. but waiting and wasting for that to change sure is.
enjoy the single life while you're still single!! life is meant to be experienced one step at a time. if you rush through it you will regret it. i don't know from experience, but i have been lectured enough to know that it must be SOMEWHAT true.. haha. in your single years you are supposed to let yourself grow! graduate from high school, make plans, go places, meet new people!! MAKE MISTAKES. life is an adventure, make it so!! and that brings is to the third point! :)
3. give yourself every opportunity possible to grow as a single woman.
(keep in mind these points don't only apply to women, men could use some of this advice too!)
let yourself grow!! a friend of mine once shared with me a quote she heard from a loved one, and it goes a little bit like this... "wake up every morning as if it's the BEST DAY EVER!" cuz if you want it to be, it can be!! I'm not saying you have to be uncomfortably happy all the time, that's just awkward, but don't bring yourself down. don't sit there thinking negative thoughts (guilty) BE HAPPY, be the person you want to see in the mirror every morning, because only you have control over that. not suzy, not bob, fred or joe or mary, YOU. if you have a list of qualities you are looking for in a spouse, make a goal to emulate those qualities. but DONT gwet carried away... so here's number four
4. remember that preparing for marriage and looking forward to it doesn't necessarily mean letting it consume your life.
yea its good to prepare yourself, in fact its fantastic! but you're not going to get anywhere if all you think about is getting married. (fyi ladies... that's not attractive) like it says up above, enjoy yourself!! if an opportunity to grow as an individual presents itself, don't let it pass by because you're waiting for mr right!! who knows you might just encounter this mr right while grabbing life by the horns and making memories!! life is good! live it!! so this isn't exactly a segway into the final point on the list, but i think this point is the most important, and i want to just get to it.
5. marriage in and of itself has never changed and unhappy person into a happy one.
BE HAPPY SINGLE. marriage is not a problem solver. in fact, when you get married, you are not only still stuck with your own problems, but you are faced with the problems your spouse brought into the picture. now i don't mean to be telling you marriage sucks and its all a load of whooey and all you get is problems... WRONGO. as long as you go into marriage for the right reasons, and with the right attitude, it can and will be the best decision you ever made. (again I'm not exactly qualified to lecture on this, but trust me, I've heard it enough times to be able to reiterate it.... haha)
so that's list 1.. any questions??? well this isn't exactly interactive... so i cant really answer them... hah sorry!!
but now its time for list number two, and i do believe this list was in a talk by President Thomas S. Monson. he's THE BEST! so without further ado, tips and tricks on how to live the abundant life :)
A) change your inner ATTITUDE, and other aspects of your life will begin to follow suit
this point has already been stressed pretty well so far.. but ah what the hey, its a gooder!! be happy!! like seriously look at the bright side of life. it can be REALLY hard sometimes.. trust me, this one i know from experience. but let me tell you, if a guy is going through some tough times in his life and still he hold his head high as if he just found twenty bucks on the sidewalk, THAT is attractive. and I'm pretty sure i can speak for the men and say it goes both ways! nobody likes to hang around someone who is so down all the time! it drag others down with you! and that ties into the letter B.
B) BELIEVE in yourself, in those around you and in eternal principles.
your life will be a whole lot easier, and staying happy will come more naturally if you have faith and believe in yourself. look in the mirror ad smile :) i promise it looks good on ya! :) you are not worthless. every single human being is of AMAZING worth. you don't need to be rich or skinny or popular to be worth something. you're alive aren't you??? you've been given this life for a reason, get off your sad but and be grateful!! :) so now were at the letter C...
C) face your challenges with COURAGE
life is NOT easy. and a lot of the things i mentioned so far will be really hard for some of you. everybody has their strengths and everybody has their weaknesses. don't be discouraged. again don't compare yourself. Suzy might be great at staying happy, but you might be better at reading your scriptures or home teaching or even baking! for some it may take courage to pull out the apron and bake a pie, who are we to decide what's easy or hard for everyone. I personally stink at staying happy a lot of the time. i have really high highs and really low lows, but because i know i can do anything i set my my mind to, so I'm working to improve that bad habit and make it into a good habit. on the other had it takes not courage at all for me to whip out the recipe book! i LOVE baking, in fact i find it a comfort when stuff gets tough.
so i hope this post did something for somebody out there. i taught myself a thing or two as i rambled on... haha much love to you all!! later! :)
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