The Precious Present

You know those people who like to have everything planned out? The kind of people who live off of lists and schedules, and like to have all of their goals laid out in a row so that once they have achieved one they can automatically start on the next? Well, I am one of those people. 

For the most part it has worked pretty well for me. Once I have a goal I then formulate a plan to achieve that goal. Once I have my plan, I am then DETERMINED to see it through. Because I am that way, I have been able to accomplish most of the things that I have wanted up to this point. Yet, sometimes when I get there, I felt a sense of accomplishment that wasn't quite what I thought it would be. It's empty somehow. 

Recently I was talking to a great friend of mine, explaining this feeling to them. Then, being amazing as always, they shared with me a story called "The Precious Present"  

Read it here (Seriously. Read it.)  

http://www.livinglifefully.com/flo/flopreciouspresent.htm

I loved this story, yet it hit me like a ton of bricks. I have NOT been living for the present. I have spent countless hours worrying about what the future holds, or what I could have done in the past that would have made my life a little bit easier. By doing this, I have done myself a HUGE disservice. My accomplishments have been great, but I needed to focus more on the journey, and less on the end goal. Doing so would have made my end goal much more fulfilling when I got eventually got there.

The greatest stories that you will ever hear, all tell about the Journey. How lame would a fairy-tale be if all it consisted of was "A princess fell asleep, a prince found out, he kissed her, they fell in love. The end."? 

Cool story, bro! 

 NO! What makes a story so awesome is hearing about the struggles, the conquests, the joys, and the heartache. Then, when you get to the end and you see how far you have come, THAT is when you find your sense of accomplishment. 

So I have decided to change how I go about achieving my goals. I am going to start living in the here and now. I will keep the future in mind, so that I can make sure my decisions today will benefit me later on. I will remember my past, so I can use what I have learned to be a better person. But my main focus will be TODAY. 

I've been trying this concept out, while preparing for my mission, and I can tell you that it has helped a lot! When you first get your call, you are given a bunch of things to do before you actually even go to the MTC. Well, I was trying to do them all in one day and it was NOT working out. So I had to slow down. I had to remind myself to enjoy the journey. It has definitely made a difference. I have been able to get things done slowly, but surely. Everything is getting done in a steady pace, and in the Lord's time. Learning to just trust in him, and knowing that it will all work out in the end has been hard, but it has been a GINORMOUS relief. Be happy with the time that you have. Use it to your advantage. Let things run their course, and for heaven's sake 

ENJOY THE JOURNEY!!!