Yesterday I studied about fear and how it is limiting to progress. It was really helpful to study that topic at this point in my career/life. It’s interesting, when I went to LDS.org today to look at talks from the recent General Conference, the talk “Faith – the Choice is Yours” by Richard C. Edgley really stuck out to me too. It’s the topic I’ll be studying about today.
Before I get in to that study, I wanted to give an update on how my “perfect day” plan has been going. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday went pretty well, although on Wednesday I woke up early but didn’t follow the plan I’d mapped out of putting my spiritual study first. I felt the effects that day and didn’t end up going to bed very early on Wednesday night. Thursday I slept in a bit and went to bed pretty late again.
Today I slept until 7:30 a.m.
I really need to make a “contract” on why this is important that I follow this plan.
“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” – Ben Franklin
The Dami Lama said this about waking up early, “Everyday, think as you wake up, ‘today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.”
I’ve found some other information about early morning routines:
Goal time. Got goals? Well, you should. And there’s no better time to review them and plan for them and do your goal tasks than first thing. You should have one goal that you want to accomplish this week. And every morning, you should decide what one thing you can do today to move yourself further towards that goal. And then, if possible, do that first thing in the morning.
In the article I’m reading about waking up early, it also talks about How to Make the Change to Getting Up Early:
Don’t make drastic changes. Start slowly, by waking just 15-30 minutes earlier than usual. Get used to this for a few days. Then cut back another 15 minutes. Do this gradually until you get to your goal time.
Allow yourself to sleep earlier. You might be used to staying up late, perhaps watching TV or surfing the Internet. But if you continue this habit, while trying to get up earlier, sooner or later one is going to give. And if it is the early rising that gives, then you will crash and sleep late and have to start over. I suggest going to bed earlier, even if you don’t think you’ll sleep, and read while in bed. If you’re really tired, you just might fall asleep much sooner than you think.
Put your alarm clock far from you bed. If it’s right next to your bed, you’ll shut it off or hit snooze. Never hit snooze. If it’s far from your bed, you have to get up out of bed to shut it off. By then, you’re up. Now you just have to stay up.
Do not rationalize. If you allow your brain to talk you out of getting up early, you’ll never do it. Don’t make getting back in bed an option.
Have a good reason. Set something to do early in the morning that’s important. This reason will motivate you to get up. I like to write in the morning, so that’s my reason.
I really enjoyed reading about this topic of waking up earlier. As I was reading, I mentioned some of the things to Becky and she recommended I start with a Monday, Wednesday, Friday routine, or something that is not so drastic.
I also read an article titled “The Amazing Power of One” which talks about setting one main goal and working until that goal is an automatic part of your day or until you’ve accomplished it.
Change is hard. Changing many things at once can be overwhelming. And that’s where most people fail. They become overwhelmed mentally before they even start. A year goes by and their goals remain nothing more than mental laundry continually spinning around in their mind.
The “Rule of One” makes change easier. The “Rule of One” states that you install one new goal at a time. Once that new goal is on auto pilot, only then do you start on your next goal.
Now to the topic of Faith in all this:
Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism.
Be aware that faith is not a free gift given without thought, desire, or effort.
The Savior said, “Come unto me” (Matthew 11:28) and “Knock, and it shall be [given] you” (Matthew 7:7). These are action verbs—come, knock. They are choices. So I say, choose faith.
Yes, faith is a choice, and it must be sought after and developed. Thus, we are responsible for our own faith. We are also responsible for our lack of faith. The choice is yours.
By moving forward into the unknown, armed only with hope and desire, we show evidence of our faith and our devotion to the Lord.
If confusion and hopelessness weigh on your mind, choose to “awake and arouse your faculties” (Alma 32:27). Humbly approaching the Lord with a broken heart and contrite spirit is the pathway to truth and the Lord’s way of light, knowledge, and peace.
Because of my faith I approach the unknown, unseen, and unexplained with unquestioning assurance.
And because of my faith—even in the seemingly worst of times—I recognize with peace and gratitude that in reality it is the best of times.
Faith is about practice.
It’s about putting my trust in God and knowing that “if I do what’s right I have no need to fear…”
Faith is about not looking back.
Faith is about doing the right things first in my day.
I’m grateful for this study.
Hasta manana!
Nate
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