“[U]se your agency to develop yourself personally. As you discover your gifts and talents…let the Spirit guide you. Choose and act for yourself. Be motivated from within. Make a plan for your life, including education or vocational training. Explore interests and skills. Work and become self-reliant. Set goals, overcome mistakes, gain experience, and finish what you begin.”
Elder Robert D. Hales, “Stand Strong in Holy Places”, General Conference, April 2013
As I get older, I’ve noticed that my motivation and ambition are not where they used to be. Maybe that’s because my priorities are shifting. Maybe that’s because of my physical circumstances. In any case, hearing words like this, from a witness of Christ, is inspiring. I can feel a desire to be better. I can feel the need to raise the bar, as it were. I know where those impressions are coming from.
It’s funny, it seems that the more I want to do something, to accomplish something, the more difficult it is for me to do when I go to do it. Makes it that much harder to accomplish. For example, I would like to jog several miles (or even several yards), but it is harder for me to do now. The old adage is very appropriate here…”you don’t know what you have until it’s gone”.
That’s not to say it will never return…that I will never do that. It will just take that much more effort to accomplish.
Then, I think….if I am capable of more effort, why didn’t I give that amount of effort when I COULD do those things? Imagine the growth and accomplishment if I did!
Then, I also think, there is still plenty I can do. Why shouldn’t I give that higher amount of effort now while I still can do certain things? And not wait until I lose that ability as well?
My point is, do not let past experiences, or the experience of someone else limit what you can accomplish in this life. Especially yourself, do not let yourself put limits on what can be done. Society has a vicious manner of limiting us already. They say, “nobody has ever done that, therefore you can’t either”, or “that’s not the way it’s done”. All it takes is for it to be accomplished one time and then the world realizes it IS possible.
The world must not be flat afterall!! 😁