Why You Should Give Up Already
I want to expose a secret! Something true that can
impact you and many you interact with. This secret has been floating around and
we are often inspired when we see others believing and acting on it. An example
is Florence Chadwick, an incredible swimmer who set records for swimming the
English Channel 4 times and other ocean swims. In 1952, she attempted to swim
the 26 miles between Catalina Island and the California Coast. As she began,
she was flanked by small boats that watched for sharks and were prepared to
help her if she got hurt or grew tired. After about 15 hours, a thick fog set
in. Florence began to doubt her ability, and she told her mother, who was in
one of the boats, that she didn’t think she could make it. She swam for another
hour before giving up and asking to be pulled out, unable to see the coastline
due to the fog. As she sat in the boat, she found out she had stopped swimming
just one mile away from her destination. Two months later, she tried again. The
same thick fog set in, but she succeeded in reaching Catalina. She said that
she kept a mental image of the shoreline in her mind while she swam. She later
swam the Catalina channel on two additional occasions.
Every phase
of life you are doing things you have never done before, swimming your own
distance between Catalina Island and the California Coast. Florence did it! She used the power of vision,
to imagine, not something fake but real- the coastline. You have decisions that
need to be made and challenges/ fogs to face, which give you a daily choice to be
optimistic or become discouraged. Instead
of coming up short with your aspirations and attitude, give up already on the
fogs of life and let yourself see the realistic outcomes by choosing to be
optimistic.
Optimism is a
positive attitude and outlook on life where a person expects the best possible
outcomes. The reality is, with all that
life offers, you actually have every reason to BE OPTIMISTIC. The fact that you
are one of God’s children can give you great motivation to press forward. In
D+C 78:17-19 we are reminded that we are but little children and cannot even
begin to comprehend the great blessing Heavenly Father has prepared for you,
for us! Just like Florence was not being naïve or silly to imagine the
coastline when all she could see was fog, we too have coastlines that can allow
us to develop optimism to move forward, achieve, and have a happier outlook on
life. Below are 4 things you can do to develop optimism.
1- Grow in your knowledge of the
invitations & promises of God.
God knows we have times of fog and has given us invitations and promises
to help us envision, expect, and reach our coastlines. When you know the
invitations and promises of God, you give yourself more opportunities to be optimistic
because you have a greater understanding of God’s character and the way He
works. Familiarize yourself with His invitations and promises by feasting on
the scriptures and words of modern prophets. Some to get you started:
Please comment below other invitation and promise references you have
experienced.
2- Grow in your experiences with the
invitations and promises of God.
With the knowledge of God’s invitations and promises you can choose to accept
these invitations and have current experiences with God, rather than relying on
mission experiences alone. There is life after the mission and God intends for
your capacities, as His child, to expand. Having current experiences will
strengthen your relationships with Him. You will be able to trust Him and know
when a new opportunity arises that His promises are sure, that the coastline
really is there. As you continue to have
experiences with God they will serve as a witness of His divine help and boost
your optimism for any situation.
3- Set measurable goals and make plans
to achieve!
This suggestion can help you with #1 and #2. When you set and achieve
goals your confidence increases that you are capable of succeeding. Act on the
invitations of God by partnering with Him in your goal-setting process. Decide to
be optimistic with your goals, decide to not stop trying, be relentless and
make it happen. God told the Brother of Jared to, “Go to work,” (Ether 2:16)
when the challenge of building a ship was before Him. Go to work and dominate
your goals! If you don’t reach your coastline, try try again.
4- Be grateful!
You have so much to be grateful for! Your lens on life is much more positive
when you take time to express gratitude aloud, in prayer, or in journal writing.
Just like recording your experiences with God can boost your faith and
optimism, recording what you are grateful for can have the same effect. What
are you thankful for?
Today is
your day! “Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the
sunlight. I am suggesting that as you go through life that you accentuate the
positive. I am asking that you look a
little deeper for the good… Look for the sunlight through the clouds.” –Gordon
B. Hinckley ‘Spirit of Optimism’
Give up already your fogs of life and let yourself see the realistic outcomes. CHOOSE TO BE
OPTIMISTIC… you have every reason to be! Woo woo
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