Advice

I went to a ward activity last night where we talked about a lot of marriage advice.

One of the pieces of advice given was to take every piece of advice with a grain of salt. I liked this advice because I'm already finding that there is a lot of information out there, and some of it conflicts. But one piece of advice we received last night that I liked was to practice and find what works for you.

I feel like this advice applies to everyone, no matter their stage in life. We have a lot of information coming in on what we should do, what we should like like, and what is the "right way." But we are all created to be very different, to be unique. We are meant to create and to expand, to discover who we are so we can foster change in our world. As we accept the advice we are given, we can try it out. Advice can be valuable, especially during a time of life where everything is transient and decisions must be made. But the point of the journey is to find out specific path. We can take the road less traveled. We don't have to take the mainstream. Although there are guides we must stay within, Heavenly Father doesn't expect us to fit a cookie-cutter mold. That's the beauty of life.

So here's to mistakes, to new ideas, to fresh starts. We have people to help us and ourselves to figure out who we are with that help. Today is the start of being someone new. 

Power in Positivity

A week ago, I got engaged.

I definitely recommend getting engaged (and subsequently married obviously...I just haven't done that part yet). It's one of those life milestones that is a happy and excited time. You have the whole wedding to plan, friends and family are over the top excited for you, you and your fiancee are over the top excited, and life is good. Sure, there's a lot of planning which can get stressful. But as long as you keep perspective, you can keep that happiness and excitement at the forefront. I have loved being able to share that happiness that I am feeling with those around me. I love that when we have really good news, others can share in that piece of happiness as well. I know that whenever I hear that someone I know is engaged or expecting or something else momentous, I'm excited and happy for them. The world needs more good news. The power of positivity is amazing.

So I've resolved to be more positive. To always be a sharer of good news. And especially to keep that happiness and excitement in my engagement...even though I have a million decisions to make between now and June. But life is good. It's a journey, and traveling well is what it's all about.

Mistakes

Sometimes, we make mistakes.

We're human. We're imperfect, and that means we make mistakes. We make mistakes pretty much ever day- as least I do. And we beat ourselves up for these mistakes. The mistake replays over and over in our heads, and sometimes it seems like a trap that we will never get out of. But that isn't what life is about. Life is a time to make mistakes, but it isn't defined by our mistakes. We are being tested, and there's a huge learning curve. Heavenly Father sent us here to earth to figure things out for ourselves. But He loves us, and He wants us to succeed so He didn't set us here on our own. We have the Holy Ghost to guide us, scriptures to inform us, church leaders to lead us, parents to raise us, and friends and family to help us. And most importantly, we have a Savior to pick us up every single time we make those mistakes. Because mistakes are inevitable- they're part of the learning process. The most important thing is that we learn. That we move on, and that we forgive ourselves. We can't let mistakes define us. We are defined by how we respond to mistakes and how we change because of them.

Mistakes have just been on my mind a lot lately. And I have decided to not let them define me. I will be allow myself to be changed and to become a better person - to become who Heavenly Father wants me to be. Because I know that I'm going to continue making mistakes. Probably daily. But I will also continue to rely on the Atonement for forgiveness and the power to move past those mistakes that I do make. I am in charge of who I become.

Interviews

This week in M Comm we did mock interviews. Personally, I was grateful for the practice in a non-threatening situation.

Because the truth is, I've never gone through a job interview. I've made it to this point in my life with the only experience being nannying. And I wouldn't change that experience for anything - I loved working with the kids and I learned a lot doing so. But my limited experience makes me a little nervous to apply and interview for a "real" job. I was grateful for the tips and methods I learned from the mock interview. I tend to be shy and as a result, building up my resume and what I can do and who I am isn't a strong suit of mine. But doing the mock interview helped me see the difference between showing your best self and being prideful. I can be proud of my accomplishments, and honesty about them will help me and help the interviewer make the best decision for their company.

That's one reason I like M Comm. It contains subjects and material that have real life application. And I feel much more confident about future interviews.