Be A Good One

Today in Relief Society we had a really good lesson on choosing not to be offended and not being ashamed of the gospel. I thought of some things that I hadn't before and it was really interesting. Our teacher talked about how being offended really is a choice and that most of the time people don't mean to offend you. One of the girls commented that if someone says something mean she says to herself, "well, that was a thought" and then moves on. We cannot dwell on the things people say to us because it will only make us sad and I know I've said things that I wish I could take back. It was a good reminder that we never have to let what others say bring us down and that we choose how we react to things.

When she talked about being ashamed of the gospel she said that being ashamed of yourself is just as bad. We talked about how this is a really big problem for women in the church. I remember last year when I got up to BYU feeling like I didn't compare to any of the girls. When we would introduce ourselves to each other all the girls would ask what you had done in high school. It seemed like every girl rattled off a list of 10 or 15 really cool accomplishments and then the question would come to me and I couldn't think of anything else to say besides that I had played volleyball. I felt like everywhere I went I was being compared to the other girls, even in the library where you can actually see the guys scoping girls out haha. Anyway, this kind of put a little dent in my self-esteem for a little bit but eventually I got over it. I've learned that you just can't compare yourself to others. It makes no sense because we are all so individual with completely different strengths and that Heavenly Father loves us equally. She talked about how it's kind of ironic that we have conversations with people and worry about every little thing we said or what we were wearing because that person doesn't even notice because they're worrying abou tthe same thing but for themselves. Something I thought of while she was talking about that is that I'm going to try and stop worrying about the way I look or what I'm thinking and start worrying about how the person I'm talking to is thinking and feeling. That way, both of us will be happier.

One of my new favorite little quotes is "Whatever you are, be a good one". That's something I really have come to feel strongly about. It doesn't matter what you're good at, just be good at it and give it your all. I feel like that one of the ways Satan brings us down the most is through making us believe that we are not good enough. Once we feel that we have no value we give up and don't try to be better and achieve new things. I see it happening so much in the world. People use it as a crutch and say "well, I'm just not very smart" or "I'm just not very good at that". If you tell yourself that of course you're not going to be good at it. Doing this just cultivates laziness and mediocrity. I even find myself doing this. If there's something I'm trying to work on I catch myself saying, "Well, that's just not my personality". We cannot let the world's standards define us because they are always changing. That's why we are so lucky to have the gospel and the commandments that never change and always bring true, lasting happiness. I am really going to work on realizing that I have so much potential and that I can do difficult and exceptional things. I don't want to be a dumb, insecure girl who gets ashamed and embarrassed. Whatever I am, I'm going to be a good one! Ha.

Love,

Anneliese