Besides wishing and hoping for good things to happen, I often have to plan and prepare to make them so, and even then challenges come most of which I don't expect and can't plan for anyway. But what I am talking about are the things I can do to make my life better within my control most days. What is it about setting goals, planning my time, organizing my life, and following through that make me feel more balanced and happy?
It is that semblance or appearance of determination and discipline while planning and then carrying out that plan, even if it does not exist in other parts of my life, that fills me with peace and happiness. For me, I know this discipline and control can exist for a moment when I am following through on a goal I set or something I have planned. This does not mean I don't like to be spontaneous. I like and need to be goal-oriented, planned, and organized, but I also desire to be flexible and spontaneous. All propel me forward, allow me to breathe, able to handle most things that come my way, evaluate, regroup, and start again if necessary.
My new experience this week found me teaching for the first time a mid-singles (ages 30-45) institute class near the Oakland Temple on Wednesday night. Before I said, "Yes" I had to consider if I could do it well without complaining since I was already hosting a young single adult (ages 18-30) small group dinner on Monday night. As I listened to my heart and prayed about it, I decided I could manage it and for some reason felt that I should do it. Now that I look back, I am sure I was supposed to teach the class more for me than for them, which I find is usually the case. The teacher often learns more than the students by reiterating what he has learned by teaching it.
Spencer W. Kimball spoke at the General Relief Society Meeting held in September 1980 in Salt Lake City and presented the theme "Learn--Then Teach". A professor at BYU named Chauncey Riddle, a graduate from Brigham Young University who also received his MA and PhD from Columbia University, used this same phrase: "Learn then teach". He further said, "A real test of a man's words are his works."
I am not sure I have learned all that much to teach others for the older I become, the more I realize how much more there is to learn. However, January and September are my months to evaluate my life and get back on track while motivating myself to learn, reach, and stretch myself more. Thus, teaching this class allowed me to take a look at how I was doing, regroup and start fresh since I had been making many to-do lists, but not really evaluating if one was more important than another. To-do lists are just words and don't become works unless prioritized and put into action.
In addition, to-do lists can become like children's toy lists for Santa which are constantly changing depending on the TV commercials and what they see at the store. For me, I just keep adding to my list which can become overwhelming unless I organize and prioritize what is there by asking myself why something is on the list in the first place. Just because I put something on the list does not automatically make it worth doing, nor does it mean I will ever get it done.
So here is a snippet of the handout I created for Wednesday's class with what I have learned from many people and places about this subject of goal setting and to-do lists (I will make time to go into time management as I did then another time):
ASK, PONDER, PRINT, ACT
(APPA for short)
Where do you see yourself in a month, 6 months, a year, five years, ten years, the middle of your life, and the end of your life, and how do you plan to get there? The thoughtful and prayerful answers to these questions need to be written down and acted upon. These become your Intermediate and Long-term Goals.
Life is made up of some big steps, but more often, it includes many, many little steps to get to these Intermediate and Long-term Goals. All goals, short or long, need to spiral us upward. Sometimes we take a detour; however, the sooner we get back on the forward motion, the sooner we will achieve our goals.
Daily Tasks and Short-term Goals lead us to our Intermediate and Long-term Goals. Moreover, we have so many shoulds in our lives that I prefer to call shoulds things we prefer to do. Focusing on 5-7 Daily Tasks and/or Short-term Goals we prefer to do are so, so much easier when we choose to SMILE~
Do Something meaningful for others and yourself everyday at home, work, school and/or church;
Do Meals ahead weekly by planning, shopping and preparing;
Do Inner mind and spirit through daily praying, pondering, journaling, and reading scriptures and good books;
Do Laugh daily and have fun adventures weekly;
Do Exercise as often as you see fit!
Next, plan your to-do list based on SMILE which ultimately leads us to our Long-term Goals! Your list is filled with purpose and conciseness; thus, it is more motivating to do! Evaluate each Sunday and change goals as needed.
And that is all I have time for this week!
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