Books I've Read Within The Last 30 Days

     I've been MIA these last few weeks while I soaked in the holidays. This Christmas was a bit different with our kids being sick, family members being sick, and being really busy with callings at church. However, we made the most of it and it was still really fun.

    Luckily though, I've been able to read a lot while laying around and have finished almost 3 books! Mat Frasers book, HWPO, Teachings of President Gordon B Hinkley's book, and Joanna Gaines book, The Stories we Tell. Just have a couple chapters left in Joanna's book. Nevertheless, all have been really positive, enriching, and so good for my soul. So here are a few highlights from these books.

    HWPO: Hard Work Pays Off

-The Rubber-band Effect: when you're competing with someone there are a few tricks to help you gain mental advancement over your fellow competitors. One of these tricks is called breaking the rubber-band. Long story short, what this means is that when you have a racer just behind you and you want to make them settle for their spot, instead of trying to get yours, you need to break the rubber-band that is keeping you guys close. And the best way to do that is whenever you are just out of sight of your competitor, lets say you're round a corner in a run, that is when you need to take off super fast. So that when your competitor rounds the corner, they don't even see you. Mat explains it way better than I can. But that is how you break the mental rubber-band because the hope is that then the person behind you will just protect their placement in the race instead of trying to overtake you and your spot because now you seem so far away. I really liked this analogy in racing because it's a small strategy that has helped Mat win 5 CrossFit competitions in a row. Sometimes the way we can get better at things is just really small tricks of the trade. BUT I also like this idea in terms of the gospel. This is what the Adversary tries to do to us. I feel like he tries to make us think that Christ is just too far beyond our reach. We are trying our best, keeping pace with life and responsibilities and testimony and temple and and and and... And then we mess up. We forget to say our prayers, we were too busy to read scriptures, we get impatient with others, and it's over. We just accept where we are, who we are, and we don't try to progress anymore. Satan is trying to break our rubber-band that keeps us close to Christ. Don't let him!

-If you have a goal that you really want to accomplish and you're willing to give everything to make it happen, then you need to constantly ask yourself one thing. Let's say that your goal is to run a marathon. Your question should then be,"Will this help me run a marathon?" to everything you do. And if the answer is no, then don't do it. Sounds super simple and you could poke at this and make it not work, but I love the principles... Focus. Diligence. Sacrifice. Make it happen!

    Teachings of President Gordon B Hinckley:

-The power of our attitudes! Anyone who is old enough to have heard and still remember President Hinckley teach I think would define most of his messages as ones of inviting us all to be more positive and cheerful. I don't remember him much. So I was grateful to read this book and learn these things for myself. An exact phrase of his was to "cultivate an attitude of happiness and a spirit of optimism." He shared a column from Deseret News that said, "Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. Most putts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey- delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling busts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride." I've been taught this in a few ways lately, the importance of a positive attitude. I am still working on it and know that it will bless my life and those around me. Life is a lot of hard-work, but how worth it is it!

    The Stories We Tell:

-We all have stories in our past that cause us pain. It can range from when we were really small or into our teenage/early adult years. All of these previous experiences still matter and can still affect us. Joanna invites us to recognize that pain and the hurt that may have happened to us. Then she asks us to then give our pain a purpose. Again, she says it better than I can, but it's the idea to make it matter for good. If we have a painful story of discrimination like Joanna experienced, then use that pain for purpose in whatever way you feel so inclined. If you came from divorced parents, you can have a stronger purpose in that pain to have a really strong marriage. If you moved a lot growing up and have pain with change, you can create purpose in trying to be someone else's steady light, etc. Adjust however you need. Ultimately, the truth here is that the bad things in our life can be used for so much good. I love giving my past pain a purpose because then it doesn't seem wasted or useless. As well as, then it can't hurt me anymore. It makes me stronger and wiser.

    Alright I could go on and on, but this is already a lot haha. If you have some good books you've read recently that you'd like to share, let's go to lunch!! I'd love to hear about it! Message me or call me and let's share!

    Keep reading friends! It's the best way to live more than one life in a single lifetime.