Quote of the Day

"They must often change,
who would be constant in happiness or wisdom."

~Confucius

Quote of the Day

"Do or do not ... there is no try."

~Yoda

From Beliefnet.com:

Eliminate "I'll try" From Your Vocabulary

When we say, “I tried,” in the past tense, it means we have failed at reaching a goal. Likewise, saying “I’ll try” is a way of excusing ourselves from doing the hard work of accomplishing whatever it is we are setting out to do. When you make a commitment or promise to yourself or others, say instead, “I will do it!”

Thinking about Priorities

Today in the women's meeting at church, the new organization president, Brittany, talked about priorities and about putting "first things first." She said it's really easy - as we all know - to get caught up in the daily tasks of life and to neglect some of the things that really matter.

I find time management to be an interesting concept. What we do with our time illustrates what we truly value. I know that no one can do everything - but I am certain that each of us makes time for the things that really matter to us. On a very basic level, we make time to shower, to eat, and to sleep (even if we don't eat as well or sleep as much as we ought to). Those things are obviously priorities to us, so we make time for them. We simply can't wait until we find time for the things that are truly important.

Here are some ideas about priorities that I like and want to consider further:

• "Good, Better, Best" by Dallin H. Oaks (October 2007).


• "Put First Things First," which one of Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." (I particularly like the concepts of "urgent" vs. "important" and "Quadrant II Time Management.")


• "Focus and Priorities" by Dallin H. Oaks (April 2001).


• "Seek ye first the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33).

By the way, Brittany ended her lesson with one of my favorite scriptures, one that's actually part of my Guiding Principles:

"And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a [wo]man should run faster than [s]he has strength. And again, it is expedient that [s]he should be diligent, that thereby [s]he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order" (Mosiah 4:27).

Quote of the Day

"Your definition of happiness will depend upon who you are - but do you have a sense of peace in your heart, a feeling of security about your future, and a feeling of anticipation when you wake up in the morning? If we can call this happiness, then would you say that at this moment you are happy?"

~Masaru Emoto

Quote of the Day

"A part-time effort, a sorta-kinda commitment, an untested promise, won't suffice. You must know that you mean business, that you're going to jump into it up to your eye sockets and not turn back at the last minute."

~Gregg Levoy

Brainstorming: Symbols of Me

When I first decided to create a happiness project and started to consider my personal core values and my personal commandments, I also started thinking about symbols of who I am and what I value.

Recently Gretchen Rubin posted a list of her nine auspicious symbols of her happiness project, inspired by Buddhism's eight auspicious symbols. That got me thinking about symbols again, so here are the results of my brainstorming about symbols:

An unicorn, representing magic and Jesus Christ. The ocean, representing tranquility, change, and the concept "Be still and know that I am God." A rainbow, representing a promise and also color. A growing flower, to symbolize my commandment to "stretch." A book, representing knowledge. A heart, symbolizing love and family. Pi, symbolizing the seemingly irrational but orderly universe. A candle, representing light and warmth. The full moon, representing night and also change, as well as a sense of awe. The sun, symbolizing light and happiness ("there is sunshine in my soul today"). A bear - maybe a teddy bear or else a panda bear - representing (I think) comfort. Clouds, because I'm fascinated by them. A girl - like on the cover of Stargirl, representing me and "girl power." Penquins, just because they are so darn cute.

I'd like to finalize my list - probably limiting it to eight items - and then ask my daughter to create simple lines drawings for each symbol (with the simplicity of the drawings being related to my personal commandment to "simplify").

Quote of the Day

"Storybook happiness involves every form of pleasant thumb-twiddling; true happiness involves the full use of one's powers and talents."

~John W. Gardner