Do What You Want and Be Happy

Today I was reading some of Aesop's Fables today and I came across two of them that really stood out to me, The Boy and the Nettle and The Man and His Two Sweethearts. I am going to brag for just a moment, I found how to get the kindle reader for free on Amazon. It's an app that goes on your computer and it comes preinstalled with three books: Aesop's Fables, Treasure Island, and Pride and Prejudice. This is the link to get it, just in case you want it- Kindle Reader.

I encourage everyone to read them, but for me, they hit a personal cord. The two main points that the fables illustrate are these-

• Whatever you do, do it with all your might
• Those who seek to please everybody please nobody

The reason this hit me is kinda the point of the blog. I have been trying really hard lately to do as much as I can and just be the best at everything. I've been learning that this is not the best thing for me. I need to have a goal, I need to pursue the goal, and I need to let things that, although they be great, are distractions fall by the wayside. 

If I could tell anyone anything, it would be this-

 Be the best you that you can be, all day, everyday, and don't care about what others think.

I know that we all might struggle with this, and I don't think anyone will understand it from the beginning, but when you leave the worries of others behind and pursue a goal with singularity, life will be happily productive again.

Manere Acutus

Gettin' Cut!

Yesterday was a really good day for the most part. My physics test went ok, not as good as I would've hoped, but better than I deserved for the work put into it. I was much more prepared in my chemistry class and I felt really good during my swimming and New Testament classes as well. Finally, I think the excitement of school is beginning to come back.

So after all the school enjoyment, I got to go home and carve pumpkins with Kaili. We documented most of it on film, so I hope you enjoy those, and yes, I do apologize for the shaky hand. It seems as though Hurricane Sandy was hitting us, but no, I just need to practice with a camera.

I think this was an awesome family home evening. We were able to really enjoy ourselves and just be goofy. I really did love it because it was a time that we had set aside for each other. I know that my kids are going to think that I am super weird, but that's ok. I hope they know that I had fun with my wife before we had kids, and that we loved each other dearly long before their births.

Manere Acutus

Easier to Keep Up Than to Catch Up

These are the words that I always hated hearing from my mom. Most of the time she would say them because I had forgotten to turn in an assignment in 6th grade. The problem is, well, she's right. I don't know if she'll enjoy hearing this, but I'm learning about this the hard way. From my last post, I talked about my lack of motivation, which still plagues me. However, I want to have the desire again. It's just seems like an uphill battle.

I have a physics test coming up on Monday. I don't really enjoy physics, I never really have, but the problem is now that I have to take a test in a class I haven't felt is worth the effort, I fear bombing it. I am not excited about that at all. So I can try to prepare myself by going back and reading everything, trying to make sense of it, and grinding myself to the bone, or I could just bomb it. Obviously I will choose the former, but the latter is enticing nonetheless.

This is where the saying comes in. It has always been, and will always be easier to keep up in a class, a church calling, work or service, than to catch up. Not only because you have to do more work, but because it seriously undermines any momentum you've built up.

I was told once that you will always swim faster if you're able to float on the water, if you keep as much of yourself out of the water as possible while propelling yourself with as much water as possible. Life is the same way. If you start off strong, and get the right technique from the beginning, you will be able to do what you need. When you let your feet drag in the water, you have to pull that much more with the rest of your body, and slowly you will start to sink.

I guess when we do refocus, there are always repairs to be done. Let us hope that our repairs are quick and painless, and not long and torturous (as physics).

Manere Acutus

Refocusing

So lately I've been slacking off. I don't know how to exactly explain it, but I have been having a hard time feeling like I want to be at school. I'm not talking about the average teenage angst that accompanies high school, I'm talking about wanting to skip classes, wanting to shirk assignments. This is not common for me, but I have felt the sad decline to apathy.

Here's the problem, I want to go to medical school, it is a dream of mine to be able to help people in a way that only a select few can. I want to be able to curb the pain, to help heal the world, and lift the broken. I want to be a tool for God to become hope again. I want that to be who I am.

Just one problem, I don't want to do the work to get there. I want to be, but not to become. I want to reach the destination but not enjoy the journey. Yes, I know, this is the wrong way to see it, but that doesn't change how I feel. What will change how I feel about it is changing my attitude about it.

I recently read something that I really enjoyed. These wise words from President Uchtdorf were strikingly personal this last week. I wish I had listened better during conference, but I am glad that I found it regardless.

This has taught me a few things,
1) Regrets can and will come. It's not something that has to determine who we are or who we will be. The important thing is to learn from the past, to let it be the text book that will lead us to a better life. We need to refocus our memories from a regret to a revelation.
2)Understand your priorities. I don't know how many of you know, but I'm married to a wonderful woman. She is ambitious, hard working, and at times easily distracted. Getting our schedules synced up isn't always as just setting aside time. She, enjoying spontaneity much more often during our free time than I, has taught me that you don't have to plan everything to the tee. What needs to be done is having the time together and letting some things fall by the wayside sometimes. Know why you're doing what you are, and be ok with refocusing your priorities sometimes.
3)Enjoy the journey. A lot of people have said this, and I add my witness. We can choose to enjoy our time. While being on a date with Kaili has always been enjoyed, a lot of the time we most enjoy our conversations in the car. An example that I am happy to share is that one day, after a bit of a disagreement and a lengthy discussion that kept us longer than I would've liked, Kaili and I were on our way to a cabin. It's roughly an hour drive, and this drive could have been very painful. My thought was that things would get better when we started doing something. "When we get up there, I will be able to unwind and know that we're enjoying our time," was my thought. The trip, after one quick stop, was one of the best conversations I've had with her ever. We refocused our attitudes to enjoy the trip.

So back to me and school. I've had my eye on a few tablets that I've been saving up for. I've thought "if only I had this tool, or that tool, I would be able to do SO much more." Although the statement might be true, it doesn't mean I would be doing more to help me become a doctor, I very well might just be doing more of the same lazy old things. It doesn't matter how I do something (on paper, laptop, or anything else), it matters why I do something. When I can refocus again, and enjoy school, my "why" will be because I enjoy it, and my tools no longer distract me as a shiny object, but rather refocus me further, onward toward my goal.

-Manere Acutus