A thought, if not a resolution

Maybe I have a problem with long term commitments, or maybe I've never liked making promises because I was afraid of messing them up somehow. Whatever it is, I've never been much into making resolutions at New Years - shocking, I know! Unless you count me resolving to not make any resolutions as a resolution...then I guess I have once or twice. :)

Plus, it seems like sometimes people think it's New Years or nothing, you know? I want to get to the point where I am constantly trying to improve ALL year. And please don't think I'm putting down all the people who are big into resolutions, because it's great that so many people look forward to starting fresh each year!! In fact, because of those people, it's made me think about it a little more this year than I have in the past.

So here are some things I've been thinking about:

Starting right now (yes, we're still a few hours away from 2013, I know) I want to start making a few changes. The thing about this is, a lot of them will start on the inside and hopefully improve me from there on out. And this is a lifetime goal; not even one I just now decided to try, just a...re-commitment to how I'd like to be one day (among other things). So here we go:

    1) This is one of my favorite pictures of Pres. Monson and when I saw it again today I was reminded what I love so much about it, and him. Do you see the lines on his face? Not wrinkles at all!! When I first saw this picture, way back when, my first thought was, "In order for the lines by his eyes to meet with the lines near his mouth the way they do, this man must have spent his life with a constant smile on his face. There's no other way they could come together that perfectly!"

If anyone has a reason to be tired, or even flat out weary, it's Pres.Monson. BUT - instead, he is one of the happiest, funniest people. Why? Because he serves from the heart; he has a genuine love of the Lord, the gospel, and the people he meets; and because he looks for the good wherever he goes. I'm not saying he never feels tired or warn out, but he handles it in a way I hope to be able to do one day.

  So one goal of mine is that by the time I'm getting up there in years, I want the lines on my face to reflect a life filled with smiling. Yes, sometimes I have to smile even when I hurt inside, I think we all do. But ultimately I want to smile because I am happy and can see the good in life - no matter what!



  2) Also from Pres.Monson, I just read his conference talk from this past October, "Consider the Blessings". This is a great quote from it.

 Something else I'm really going to try to do is follow this counsel and look for the blessings, especially the hidden ones, that I receive in my life. The best part is, I have looked back at trials I've experienced and have found that what seemed so dark and impossible at the moment, also turned out to be some of the most defining, testimony building times of my life.
  We don't have answers to all of the "why's" that accompany things that happen to us, but if we look for the blessings from good AND hard times, it makes life so much more exciting and peaceful. Try it, it's awesome!

 And for my final one (for now, at least) -
   3) Pres. Uchtdorf's talk from September 2011, "Forget Me Not". First off, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one like this, but, do you have a certain church leader that pretty much every time they speak, their message hits home for you without fail?
  I have a few like that, and Pres. Uchtdorf is one of those people. I love so many of his talks, and this one was given at a time in my life when it was able to have the ultimate affect on me - not a coincidence, I know.
  In case you need a reminder of what not to forget, here it is:

At different times in my life there are some of these more than others where I really need to take time to

re-focus on one of those specific "Forget Me Nots", which I think is part of life. We constantly need to return to what we've already been taught because as we grow and change in life, we gain new insights and perspectives. I'm just so thankful to have people who are inspired to help us remember what the most important parts of life are, and how to live our lives in the way that will bring us the most lasting happiness.

So I guess in a way I made some resolutions this year, but maybe it was just me trying to get back on track to WHO I want to become and HOW I want to be - not just in 2013, but forever.

Whatever your resolutions (or non-resolutions) might be, I hope your new year is filled with good things!

Here's to 2013!