Your Very Best

I've thought alot about what I want this blog to mean for my life and for the friends who read it. So far the best reason I can find for spending time here is to help us all find a place we can turn for that extra push when things get rough or for that smile that will help us get through the day. I have a dear friend who often asks me "what are you going to do to get through the next few hours?" when I call to complain about my day.

I had the priviledge to learn from some fabulous teachers in my life. One man, Brother Carpenter as we called him in the Missionary Training Center taught me very valuable lessons about perserverence. I remembered his words recently as I set goals to lose weight, run a half marathon, finish a novel and work two jobs for awhile. Brother Carpenter said, "There are three C's to live by. Never complain, Never compare and Never compromise when it comes to your faith." Complaining breeds negativity. Comparing will either make you feel better than someone or worse about yourself and neither of those emotions will help you be the person you want to become. Compromising when it comes to faith weakens your spirit and robs your power.

One more thing he said was that he tried to do one hard thing everyday.
I'm a runner. It's official. I finished the Salt Lake 1/2 marathon just over a week ago and my friend Lizz assures me that the difference between a jogger and a runner is an entry form. So not only did I get an entry form, but I have pictures to prove that I crossed the finish line. So I am a runner. (I just like saying that) At the end of every run, no matter how long it is, I sprint. Because that is how you beat the run. How you show that stretch of road that tried to wear you out that you have conquered it.

Doing 1 hard thing each day is how I conquer my day. How I prove that I owned that day. Sometimes just getting out of bed is my 1 hard thing and the rest of the day gets easier after that. Sometimes my one hard thing is running 6 miles, or loading the dishwasher when everyone else has been in bed for hours. More often than I like to admit my one hard thing is resisting the whispering call of chocolate or ice cream. (sometimes I've already done a hard thing so I get to submit to the dessert temptations.)

So what's the point of these late night ramblings? The point is this: When you read this I hope you will find the strength to own your day. Own your goals. Own your dreams and take one step toward making them come true.

This weekend I went to a writer's conference and renewed my goal to finish editing my very long manuscript and prepare it for submission, which means sending my creative baby out into the cold, mean world. At the conference we watched a short video from "Facing the Giants." I'm not sure how to tell you what this meant to me. All I can really do is suggest that you take a minute and check it out. (Thanks to Julie Wright for supplying the link.)

Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vB59PkB0eQ

After you watch it, remember to own your day. Give your very best to making your goals turn into achievements and never, never, never get in your own way. I'm going to try to do the same.