3 Goals REFLECTION

My first goal is dealing with prayer. Usually I am really good about praying, but lately I have been neglecting it, and I can tell that my life isn't as full as it once was. I don't know if it is the start of school or what, but praying, sincerely to my Father in Heaven has been harder to do. I am making excuses, too tired, too much homework, I forgot, etc. This has got to stop. It is bad enough that I am not praying often enough, but it is worse that I can tell I am not praying enough. That being said, my first goal is to pray, morning and night, sincerely, for the next six weeks, or until I feel my life is back in order. I will know I have accomplished this goal when I am back on the same level with Heavenly Father that I was before. I will feel it. To help me accomplish this goal I am going to schedule my life more. Get a routine going so I am not rushing to get everything done all the time. I am also going to make reminders for myself and hang them in my room. My favorite quotes about prayer, a rock, whatever it takes. I know overcoming the exhaustion of student life is going to fight against me constantly, but with determination and faith I know I can accomplish this goal.

I am happy to report that I accomplished my first goal. This was probably the most important goal to me personally. I was important to me because I usually am very good at praying, morning and night. I was taught at a young age how important prayer is and gained a strong testimony of it through different experiences. So when I was struggling with it, I was kind of worried. But I learned that if you prioritize your life and have a goal in mind, you can do anything. I organized my life and made sure that prayer and scripture study were my highest priority. Since doing that, everything else seemed to just fall into place. It just goes to show that if you have the right things in mind the Lord will surely bless you. It also helped that my lesson plan was on the subject of prayer. Not only was I actually praying daily, but I was also studying prayer in the scriptures and in talks. It was great to read about prayer and how it important it is in life while actually doing it and receiving the blessing I was learned about. If I could give any advice to others it would be make prayer a priority in your life. Life is hectic and it will probably always be hectic in some way, but it was comforting to know that anytime I felt overwhelmed I could just get on my knees and ask for guidance and support. It is a great way to calm down and re-evaluate your situation. I would also remind them that the Lord is always there, no matter what. You can always count on the Lord, and I have learned that through prayer.

My second goal is dealing with the gift of Knowledge. I know I have been blessed with this, but lately I feel as if I have lost it. Reading in the student manual it says, "the gift...comes by study and obedience." Two things I am also trying to work on. My goal is to get no grade lower than a B. I will know I have accomplished this goal when grades are posted. This is probably going to be my hardest goal because it requires a lot of things. Obedience, knowledge, good study habits, faith and prayer, just to name a few. There is also going to be a lot of things going against me. Time, tests, classes, work, callings, etc. However, I know if I am doing everything I can to follow the teachings of the Gospel as well as prioritize my life, I can accomplish this goal.

Although grades have not been posted yet, I feel like I am on track to accomplish this goal. As I predicted when I first posted about this goal, it has been my hardest. Luckily for me, the other goals I chose helped me a lot in fulfilling this goal. There were a few times where I thought I wasn’t going to make it, but prayer, obedience, diligence and support both from the Lord and my friends and family have helped me get through. I feel like be choosing this goal I have not only been blessed in getting good grades, but I have learned a lot more. Good study habits which are key to getting good grades have helped me become more knowledgable of all the subjects I have been studying. Learning to manage my time was also a huge part in accomplishing this goal. However when I felt there were not enough hours in the day I would step back, prioritize, pray and everything would get done in time. I was surprised at first, but soon I learned that if you were doing everything you were supposed to be doing, the Lord had your back. I was blessed this semester, I have no doubt about that. Because of this goal I will continue to do well in school because I have implemented proper study habits in my life and now know how to organize and prioritize my life. I would suggest that others who are having trouble in their studies learn how do the same. Have a schedule, learn to prioritize and to say no to some things, and most importantly put the Lord first in your life. He will bless you.

My third goal is obedience. I am going to have to work on this one if I want to fulfill my other to goals. My goal for obedience is going to deal with church. I am going to attend all of my meetings, on Sunday and otherwise for the rest of the semester. This sounds simple enough, but it is hard for me. Not so much for my Sunday meetings, but all the other ones. I am extremely disobedient when it comes to attending meetings other than on Sundays, but I know if I start attending my life will be richer. Not only will I meet people in my ward, I will be enriched with lessons and experiences beyond measure. The main problems of this goal are homework, being tired and friends. To overcome these obstacles I plan to schedule my time so my homework is done before 8, go to bed early so I get enough sleep, and invite my friends to attend with me.

This was a super struggle for me. I was doing well at first but then I wavered a little. I missed a couple of family home evenings. We changed to FHE groups a few weeks into the semester and that is when I missed. I was too lazy to figure out where my group was meeting, so I just didn’t go. There is no excuse. However, when I was reading over my goals and realized attending was one of them, I changed my ways. I learned where my group was meeting and started going again. FHE might seem like a trivial meeting, but like all other meetings the Spirit is present and I have learned some quality things while in attendence. The spiritual thought is usually just something short, but important. It was also nice to meet and get closer with some of the people in my ward. Being away from home, you rely on your ward to be your family and that is what happened through all of the meetings I attended. I became closer with my family. I was even asked to give a talk in sacrament meeting about the importance of attending church meetings and was able to challenge others to attend and share some of my experiences I have had by attending meetings. It has been a great experince and I hope to continue to attend all of my meetings, not only here on campus, but where ever I end up in life. I would hope that others would do the same. Meetings are held of us. Even if you think nothing in the meeting applies to you, chances are it does. Maybe not immediately but eventually you will understand all that is said in church meetings. They are a great way to be spiritually guided and uplifted.