To be your best self.

I had the opportunity to write an article for a friend. Which blessed me with the unique thoughts that I am about to share. But before doing so, I wanted to share something that one of my patients said today. He expressed to me that we are our own motivators. We choose what we want to be motivated in.


And here is the article that I wrote..

I think that while in Heaven, we volunteered for many things, such as life, trails, joys and failures. I know that God has given us the tools and resources to succeed, to overcome, to grow and progress in this life. But with these tools, one thing is expected of us, not only to endure, but to endure well.

“Patient endurance permits us to cling to our faith in the Lord and our faith in His timing when we are being tossed about by the surf of circumstance. Even when a seeming undertow grasps us, somehow, in the tumbling, we are being carried forward, though battered and bruised.” Neal A. Maxwell 

Becoming your best self spiritually – is entirely based on your own desire. If you have a desire for growth and progression, if you have a desire to be better than you were the day before, than you are setting foot upon the path ofbecoming your best self. Without desire, the lack of motivation to become something better will lead to failure.

In a world that has little interest in God, or religion at all; becoming your best self spiritually will in fact, become a fight at one point or another. A battle of what you believe to be true, a battle of your own actions and words and a battle against opinions of others, who should not persuade you; but who will indeed try to. Let me emphasize: DARE to be DIFFERENT, Dare to stand out, dare to be somebody who is striving to be their best self and DARE TO FIGHT FOR SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW TO BE TRUE.

Three years ago I made a choice, to stand up for something that I knew to be true. This choice was not influenced by friends, or family members. I made the decision to be baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Something worth fighting for, doesn’t come easy – this proved to be very true. There were times that giving up sounded better than enduring. I began to be mocked by family members, for the soul purpose of belittling and hurting my feelings. Sticks and stones, right? But the hatred coming from my own family, who was supposed to love, protect and stand up for me; that becomes something that doesn’t seem possible to endure. Friends who no longer wanted to be friends because of my decision. But what I would soon come to realize is that the bigger the fight you are willing to fight, the stronger you become. The strength that I am talking about isn’t my own though; this strength was given to me because of my willingness to continue in faith. JESUS CHRIST—he gave me more strength than I knew existed. In those moments of fight or flight, in the very moment that I made the choice to fight, Jesus Christ proved to me his true strength, compassion, grace and mercy. Jesus Christ and I became one, as we stepped into battle hand in hand.

“Never assume that you can make it alone. You need the help of the Lord. Never hesitate to get on your knees in some private place and speak with Him.” – Gordon B. Hinckley

I promise that in the moments you surrender unto the Lord, in the moments that you hand it all to him, if you endure in faith, when you TRY your best (this does not include be as perfect as you assume he wants you to be) he will mold you into something far greater than you could have ever imagined. He will give you the help you need, to become your best self, in all aspects of your life. He will lift you up, he will change your desires into his own, but most importantly, he will never leave you to fight, alone. He will always come to your rescue.

 I wanted to share this because it tugs on my heart, and reminds me of these times, reminds me that during these times, Christ was more apart of me than I ever imagine myself feeling again.. It's easy to reflect on memories, good or bad. But it's hard to remember exactly the way it made you feel internally. But the way that Jesus Christ makes me feel is not forgettable, it is not hard to long and desire for that same feeling, I do that every single day. Jesus Christ is my Savior. King. Redeemer. But my favorite part, is that he is mine.