Each week, day, even often hour it seems like I constantly am hearing or seeing something that puts my life in perspective, makes me really think. "Wow, do I want that in my life?" "Wow, what events in his life led him to make that decision?" Or "Okay now I remember why I don't do that."
There are countless lesson learned all the time. These are some that seem to stick with me.
"Watch your thoughts for they become your words. Watch your words for they become your actions. Watch your actions for they become your habits. Watch your habits for they become your character, Watch your character it becomes your destiny" - Unknown.
"Bridle all your passions that ye may be filled with love" Alma 38:12
"All you champions of science and rulers of men,
Can you summon the sun from its sleep?
Does the earth seek your counsel on how fast to spin?
Can you shut up the gates of the deep?
Don’t you know that all things hang, as if by a string,
O’er the darkness - poised to fall?
If there’s one thing I know in this life: we are beggars all.
All you big shots that swagger and stride with conceit,
Did you devise how your frame would be formed?
If you’d be raised in a palace, or live out in the streets,
Did you choose the place or the hour you’d be born?
Tell me what can you claim? Not a thing - not your name!
Tell me if you can recall just one thing,
That’s not a gift in this life?
Can you hear what’s been said?
Can you see now that everything’s grace after all?
If there’s one thing I know in this life: we are beggars all." Thrice- (Which is consistent with King Benjamin's Address in the Book of Mormon about all of us being unprofitable servants because we can never repay God for the gift he has given us that we are all beggers)
Judge not for ye shall be judge with that same judgement.
Let him without sin cast the first stone. We are all a couple bad decisions away from being in the worst state our lives have ever been in.
After getting to know one of my hero's I found out he came from the lowest of the lowest, made decisions I never would have imagined. He is someone that many would have counted out in society. Would have forbidden their daughter from dating. Today a person would not know it. He is so dedicated to the Gospel and to helping others feel the freedom from sin that he felt.
Words mean something but actions mean everything.
"Life for you, has been less than kind
So take a number, stand in line
We've all been sorry, we've all been hurt
But how we survive, is what makes us who we are"
Job said it best when he said. "Even tho God slays me I will still serve him" (or something close to that)
I need the grace of the Savior as much as the person sitting next to me who smells like smoke. Without the Atonement neither of us are making it to heaven.
Giving everything you have to Serve God is relative to each individual. I need to ask my self if I am giving everything I have more often then I need to ask if my neighbor is giving everything they have.
Willing Obedience yields longer lasting fruits then forced obedience.
I get what I really want when I am patient rather then when I force it.
Giving in to temptation feels good for the moment and hurts for a lot longer.
Balance is everything.
Do I want what I want now more then What I what I want for the rest of my life?
Lastly, It's a lot easier to recognize these principles then it is to apply them.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Blood Shot Eyes!
My friends. Lyrics from a song that could describe last night would be Thrice's: Artist and the Ambulance. "My world goes black before I open blood shot eyes, look into florescent white, flip the siren, hit the lights"
The night started off with attending one of my good friends Brigham Goodson's Ultimate Fights. This was his second Pro-am fight.
We were in a small but packed arena. The crowd would get pumped up periodically but over all was pretty quiet. Sitting in a group of about 20 people the anticipation built up to see our friend, our fighter. The person that has been giving his all for months to prepare for this 15 minute cage fight.
Finally we see him. He is announced as Brigham "I'll Steal Your Girlfriend" Goodson. (Classic) He marched out with his hands high. Johnny Cash playing in the background. A person could barely hear the music though. Why? The crowd was going crazy. Well, It started with our section. "Brigham.. Brigham.. Brigham.." The energy and excitement spread throughout this small coliseum. His opponent sat in the caged octagon waiting. The ref had both of them meet in the middle.
"I know there is a difference between sleight of hand and giving everything you have. That there's a line drawn in the sand, I'm working up the will to cross it."
Brigham towered his opponent. His opponent weighed in at 207, Brig at 205. Brig being 3 inches taller and more muscular proved that his opponent brought nothing to the table physically. (to be kind). Brig on the other hand looked like a warrior, trained and ready to go the distance.
The fight starts. Brig definitely showing that he knows the difference between sleight of hand and giving all that he has. The opponent may have been trying to give all that he had but within 15 seconds it was easy to see that he was out of his element.
"Flip the sirens, hit the lights, close the doors and I am gone."
Gone. Finished. 1 minute and 30 seconds into the fight and Brig's opponent found himself face down on the ground being terrorised by heavy punches and great body positioning. The opponent gave up. Threw in the towel. "Flip the sirens, hit the lights!" He was done for.
The crowd continued to chant. "Brigham..Brigham..Brigham.." Mr. Steal Your Girl didn't get punched once. Not once. I cant wait to see his next fight.
Besides, the downed opponent another person had blood shot eyes last night. Me. After a week of staying up late and getting up early to catch our mare have her foal I was exhausted. Planning to end my night at 11 and just hit the snooze button still I randomly found myself in SLC. Which was a fun little adventure. I get a call from my dad. "She finally had it." I was exhausted, moving purely off of excitement.
"I hope I will never let you down"
There he is. Our up and coming generation of horse racing! 2 years from now we will be seeing him fly down the track.
It made for a 5 am, blood shot eyed night but it was worth it!
Here is the Song. Artist and the Ambulance
The night started off with attending one of my good friends Brigham Goodson's Ultimate Fights. This was his second Pro-am fight.
We were in a small but packed arena. The crowd would get pumped up periodically but over all was pretty quiet. Sitting in a group of about 20 people the anticipation built up to see our friend, our fighter. The person that has been giving his all for months to prepare for this 15 minute cage fight.
Finally we see him. He is announced as Brigham "I'll Steal Your Girlfriend" Goodson. (Classic) He marched out with his hands high. Johnny Cash playing in the background. A person could barely hear the music though. Why? The crowd was going crazy. Well, It started with our section. "Brigham.. Brigham.. Brigham.." The energy and excitement spread throughout this small coliseum. His opponent sat in the caged octagon waiting. The ref had both of them meet in the middle.
Brigham towered his opponent. His opponent weighed in at 207, Brig at 205. Brig being 3 inches taller and more muscular proved that his opponent brought nothing to the table physically. (to be kind). Brig on the other hand looked like a warrior, trained and ready to go the distance.
The fight starts. Brig definitely showing that he knows the difference between sleight of hand and giving all that he has. The opponent may have been trying to give all that he had but within 15 seconds it was easy to see that he was out of his element.
Gone. Finished. 1 minute and 30 seconds into the fight and Brig's opponent found himself face down on the ground being terrorised by heavy punches and great body positioning. The opponent gave up. Threw in the towel. "Flip the sirens, hit the lights!" He was done for.
The crowd continued to chant. "Brigham..Brigham..Brigham.." Mr. Steal Your Girl didn't get punched once. Not once. I cant wait to see his next fight.
Besides, the downed opponent another person had blood shot eyes last night. Me. After a week of staying up late and getting up early to catch our mare have her foal I was exhausted. Planning to end my night at 11 and just hit the snooze button still I randomly found myself in SLC. Which was a fun little adventure. I get a call from my dad. "She finally had it." I was exhausted, moving purely off of excitement.
There he is. Our up and coming generation of horse racing! 2 years from now we will be seeing him fly down the track.
It made for a 5 am, blood shot eyed night but it was worth it!
Here is the Song. Artist and the Ambulance
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The Good Life
Sunday night riding in a car I stumbled upon a song, The lead singer gave his introduction "I wrote this song because I am thoroughly convinced that everyday when we wake up we decide if today is going to be a good day or a bad day. Everyday is what we decide to make it."
The thoughts started to flood my mind of how true this simply statement was. Everyday, week, month is filled with countless experiences: yawns, streches, smiles, laughs, times of feeling anxious, frustrated and tried. We can look forward to the trying times and the learning experiences, times of growth and life lessons learned. Finding happiness in the simple things. A night that was planned to "Feast like a king" can turn into a run to Arby's dollar menu and be just as thrilling, if not more. Every moment, bump in the road is what we want it to be or better said what we make it.
"This is gonna be a Good Life. A Good. Good. Life"
The thoughts started to flood my mind of how true this simply statement was. Everyday, week, month is filled with countless experiences: yawns, streches, smiles, laughs, times of feeling anxious, frustrated and tried. We can look forward to the trying times and the learning experiences, times of growth and life lessons learned. Finding happiness in the simple things. A night that was planned to "Feast like a king" can turn into a run to Arby's dollar menu and be just as thrilling, if not more. Every moment, bump in the road is what we want it to be or better said what we make it.
"This is gonna be a Good Life. A Good. Good. Life"
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