Alvin.

so yesterday in relief society, our wonderful teacher shared a quote that really stuck with me. and i'm gonna share it with you.

good better best. never let it rest. until your good becomes better, and your better best. -Tim Duncan

and another that goes hand in hand.

turn your cants into cans, and your dreams into plans. -Kobi Yamada

the first one can be misinterpreted though, so i'm going to try and explain it as best i can.

I'm sure plenty of you have heard the saying Good Better Best. but i hadn't heard the second half until just yesterday. it's kinda catchy :)

So. some people when they initially read this quote might think, "well dangit, i'm not perfect, this is unrealistic" (i sure did) but it isn't about perfection, it's about reaching true potential. and everybody, no matter where they are in tall the walks of life, has room to improve on something.

It might be being nicer to your siblings. it might be getting better at saving your money. hey, it might even be as simple as just putting a smile on your face in the morning, and reminding yourself of all the things you have been blessed with. I know i have MOUNDS of room for improvement, and looking into a figurative mirror back at myself, it tends to be daunting.... but we also have to remember to take things one step at a time. I find the things in my life that worked out the best were the ones that i spent more time and effort on, and really tried my best to accomplish.

Ok. so i'm not suggesting that you grab your own figurative mirror and pick out all the things about yourself that need to be better. no. that will only wind you up between a rock and a hard place. trust me on this.... I learnt something important whilst recently seeking professionally guided advice... self awareness. I was taught to really step outside myself and figure out why it was i was doing everything the way i was. NOT EASY.

this took me a long time to grasp, and even now i still haven't really figured it out. but it's really helping. don't be afraid to ask yourself questions. and DO NOT under any circumstances be dishonest with yourself. you're probably going to rediscover some skeletons that you buried ages ago, but it isn't until you actually deal with them that you can move on and take another step towards being your best self.

Something that I discovered amidst my journey is that i am secretly very selfish. every time i was presented with a choice, my decision was based on the answer to the question, 'what's in it for me??' no. it's good to want to help yourself, but in discovering this dirty little secret, i also discovered a pretty little trick. When you ask yourself instead the question, 'what's in it for YOU??' ME benefits more than she would had she asked herself the previous question. (please ignore the awful grammar in that sentence...) So i'll close with a story.

After work one day i was sitting on the bench waiting for the bus listening to some Brigit Mendler (yaya breakup songs) and just enjoying myself. When I'm approached by a native man. He looks a little worn out and beaten, but still somehow glowing. He sparks up a conversation with me, beginning with "you look like you're going somewhere in life, what grade are you in??" at first i'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment, but i kindly reply that i'm actually in university. his face just lit up even more as he replied "good for you. we need more bright young people like you getting good jobs. keep it up, you're great" I smiled, and put my headphones back in, and turned up my music to drown out the white noise that is down town lethbridge. When another native man approached me. this one was poorly dressed and even more scraggly looking. he sheepishly approached me and asked "could you do me a really big favor? i haven't eaten all day and i don't think i have enough change for a hot dog. could you spot me?" I didn't know what to say. i thought for a second. i had enough time to grab him a hot dog and catch my bus home. so up i got. :) luckily Red Dog was just across the street. He introduced himself as Alvin (I think...), and i gave him my name, impressed by his cheeriness. then he opens the door for me. "dang this guy must have really had a great life once upon a time. he's super kind" as we approach the counter i realize i left my wallet at work (oops) so i ask the kind gentlemen behind the counter how much it would cost to buy a hot dog, and we realize that Alvin had enough change after all. i was still bummed cuz i would have wanted to get him at least two. But as i made sure he got his food, he turned to me, offered his fist for a good ol' bump and wished me a good day.

Alvin changed my outlook on life. and i wish i could really thank him for it.... He taught me to pose the second question to myself... 'what's in it for YOU'

So I'm getting better, and making my good better, my better best, and planning my dreams.
:) later