Courage and Guts

To me, courage and guts have the same meaning.
It takes guts and courage to:

face it head on
take control
take the lead
stand up
be brave
say "no"
many more things...

Here's the truth: Everyone has guts. I say go for it!

Truth About Appearance

Yesterday, I read online my blog posts from 2009 and 2010 to see differences in me then and now. Video clips also got watched to see what struck me then. The Mormon Message: My New Body got watched (a clip not seen in years) and it reminded me that truly, the appearance of the body doesn't matter but that I have one. What matters is who I am not how I look.

I'm grateful for this reminder which solidifies accepting myself just the way I am. (That how I look doesn't matter, and that my qualities matter - not my looks.) My spirit is the essence of me. I am an eternal being, a child of God of infinite worth. The truth: my character makes me beautiful, not my looks.

The Truth

"You can please some of the people some of the time , but you can't please all of the people all of the time"

I'm just me, and I'm an American. I believe a subtle trap is to be like everyone else - to be politically correct (not say things that could upset someone), to be fair (not be all I can be because someone else isn't) and to not care about money (but instead care more about what I do regardless of money).

The American way is freedom

• To climb the ladder, be all you can be and make as much money as possible.
• To strive for and get to the top and be rewarded with success.
• To live where you want, do what you want and be who you want.

It's NOT American to be politically correct
It's impossible to say things that don't offend someone because eventually it'll happen. Political Correctness is control - controlling someone to say nice things when the people who push political correctness sometimes don't say nice things themselves. The truth is that most people try to say nice things and not hurt people but sometimes they do, and if they don't try to be nice then it's their choice. Another truth is that it's a choice to be offended.

It's NOT American to try to please everyone
Everyone doesn't win (there's survival of the fittest and it's a common fact...if they get something they don't deserve, they know it.) The truth is that making everyone a winner just makes everyone weak - when someone loses then they try harder to hopefully win the next time. If they don't win and get offended it's their choice to be offended.

It's NOT American to think money is evil
Just because someone doesn't have it doesn't mean I shouldn't have it either. The truth is that everyone has the same ability to get what they want. If someone get's offended by someone else having what they don't it's their choice to be offended instead of doing their best to get it.

The Truth
When drama is stripped away all that's left is choice. Everything is a choice and the things I stated are things designed to bring America down, to not make America great and to make America like everyone else. I'm proud to be an American and I love my country - the land of the free and home of the brave.

Doing What Makes Me Happy

A wonderful book
My friend told me about a book called The Artist's Way (which is a fabulous book). I believe that EVERYONE is an artist when they do what they love. It's easy to confuse fine art (painting, dancing, singing, writing, photography) with art. But an artist is someone who creates, therefore an artist could be anyone who loves what they do. When you do what you love you give 100%. (If I loved numbers and was an accountant, everything I made would be great because I put my heart and soul into it-I did it with 100% effort.)

In the book The Artist's Way the author lists 10 basic principles. I believe these principles relate to everyone and they are a good gauge to measure them being true to themselves. The 10 things are statements, but to use them as a gauge maybe they need to be questions and supporting statements.

The basic principles
Basic Principles

1. Creativity is the natural order of life. Life is energy: pure, creative energy.
2. There is an underlying, in-dwelling creative force infusing all of life – including ourselves.
3. When we open ourselves to our creativity, we open ourselves to the creator’s creativity within us and our lives.
4. We are, ourselves, creations. And we, in turn, are meant to continue creativity by being ourselves.
5. Creativity is God’s gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God.
6. The refusal to be creative is self-will and is counter to our true nature.
7. When we open ourselves to exploring our creativity, we open ourselves to God: good orderly direction.
8. As we open our creative channel to the creator, many gentle but powerful changes are to be expected.
9. It is safe to open ourselves up to greater and greater creativity.
10. Our creative dreams and yearnings come from a divine source. As we move toward our dreams, we move toward our divinity.

My idea of the basic principles
Basic Principles as questions/supporting statements

1. Am I doing what I love? If I am, my creativity will flow like energy.
2. Am I doing what I love? If I am, my creativity will come naturally.
3. Am I doing what I love? If I am, my creativity will allow the Creator to work through me.
4. Am I doing what I love? If I am, this is what I'm meant to do.
5. Am I doing what I love? If I am, my creativity will be my gift to God. (My creativity is a gift from Him.)
6. Am I doing what I love? If I am, that's super! (The refusal to be creative goes against my true nature.)
7. Am I doing what I love? If I am, my creativity will cause more creativity and will cause more experiences where the Creator can work through me.
8. Am I doing what I love? If I am, my creativity will allow me to be my true self.
9. Am I doing what I love? If I am, my creativity is okay and will allow me to be truly creative. (It's risky to be creative and follow my heart when the world tells me to do what causes stability. But if I don't be true to myself, I won't be happy. My creativity may not pay off immediately but I believe that it will. I believe in myself, and I believe in my dreams.)
10. Am I doing what I love? If I am, my creativity will move me toward my dreams and toward divinity.

Why I need to do what I love
I truly believe that if people did what they loved (their natural gift) there'd be less stress in the world. I also believe that people would be happier. I believe its a trick from the adversary designed to take away our happiness that we are told to do what makes money-no matter what it is (we believe it) instead of doing what makes us happy.

I Won't be Blindsided by Fear

I truly believe that fear is a tactic Satan uses to stop us in our tracks. I see so many things happening in the world that if I focused on their reality I'd feel really scared. Wars are happening in various places, the cost of living is going up, food costs are rising, the cost of gasoline is ridiculous, unfairness happens, I have to deal with new symptoms of my disease, and on and on and on. It's at that moment that I have to step back from the problems, take a deep breath, and tell myself this:

• I was destined to be born now and knew before I was born that the world would have turmoil. I'm strong and can handle it.
• I will believe truth and not be blindsided by lies (fear being the biggest of all).
• It is what it is. Bad things happen but I choose what I focus on and I won't get stopped in my tracks by fear, I'll have faith that God will support me and give me peace as I put my faith and trust in Him.
• Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. - Isaiah 41:10
• Truth: Satan has pulled out all the stops. He wants to make God's children afraid so they won't have faith. He knows his fate has been decided and that he's destined for hell and he wants to take as many of God's children with him as he can. Here's the clincher: he doesn't care about anyone but himself, he just wants to hurt God!
• Fear doesn't mean I'm going to hell it just means I feel fear instead of faith.

It's true that opposition exists to make me choose. It's also true that when I choose to feel afraid I just scare myself. If I choose to have faith instead and tell myself that whatever scares me God knows about too, I'll feel peace. Bad things are gonna happen - it's a part of life - but I won't dwell on the bad and I'll continue to live my life.

Defening Truth

Satan's deceives people with lies, and I will point them out. I want to help people. Some of the tools Satan uses to deceive people are these:

Anger
When I allow myself to get riled up...especially on things I can't control...I feel upset. If I'd just not pay attention to it and change my focus, I'd feel peace. It's possible to feel fine amidst turmoil when I work on myself and focus only on the things I can change. It's not helpful to anyone to be Debbie Downer. Does assuming the worst do any good? No, it just makes me feel sad and miserable. Why condemn things and bring people down? Instead, I'll live my life and focus on being the best me possible.

Unfairness
Life isn't fair so why do I expect fairness? Isn't expecting fairness like being insane? The definition of 'insanity' = doing the same thing but expecting different results. There will always be unfairness somewhere, but I don't need to focus on it. Instead, I'll live my life and focus on being the best me possible.

Feminism
Women are capable, intelligent creatures who can do many things. How does it help women to bash men when most women secretly love them? I understand that women want to be all they can be, but I think they can do it without blaming anyone. No one determines my accomplishments but me. I won't hate men. Instead, I'll live my life and focus on being the best me possible.

Attack on men/boys
Most men/boys are not considered 'gentlemen' these days. I beg to differ. I think that men/boys are gentlemen but their gentlemen-like acts are expected and unnoticed, and, I'm sorry to say, even AFTER men/boys are gentlemen sometimes other people think it's not good enough and they just want more. Granted, most men/boys don't hold open doors for people, pull out people's chairs so they can sit, or stand up when a lady enters the room, but:

• How many men/boys pull up to the door (instead of just parking) so that people don't have to walk?
• How many men/boys let people out to walk under covered walkways so people don't get wet when they themselves walk in the rain?

Those are just two examples of how men/boys are gentlemen these days, and I could give many more examples. Men/boys are not zombies who are at other people's beck and call. No, they are people who deserve the same respect that other people want. It's true that back in the day men/boys got things that women didn't. But to blame men/boys today for something that changed many years ago is like blaming them for something they can't control. I won't attack anyone. Instead, I'll live my life and focus on being the best me possible.

Attack on family
The definition of 'family' seems to be open for discussion. To me, a family is one that is made naturally and consists of a mom, a dad, and children. Of course I describe the ideal which isn't always the case, but the ideal should be what I strive for.The family described has been that way since the beginning of people...that a family consisted of a mom, a dad, and children. Families aren't perfect, sometimes they disagree, fight, and dislike things, but in no better place can a person also learn to love, to serve, and to think about someone besides themselves. Why fix something that's not broken? Why redefine something just to make it modern? I won't judge. Instead, I'll live my life and focus on being the best me possible.

Satan deceives people to get them to follow him. I know that some people don't believe in Satan and they can believe whatever they want. I believe he exists and I won't sit idly by and watch him deceive people without saying something.

The Truth About My Body

I took a shower today and, unfortunately for me, the mirror in my bathroom is huge and directly across from the shower. (I get to look at myself every time I'm in the shower...and I never do!) Today I thought, I wish I had a different body. You know me...I ponder, and that's exactly what I did after my shower.

• I thought about how for many years I hated my body and, honestly, myself.
• I thought about how the 'skinny' girls on TV, in commercials, in movies, in magazines, and in person caused me to hate myself every time I looked at them.

Being the religious person I am: 

• I thought about how if my child hated themselves because they wished for a different body I'd be sad because I loved them and wanted them to be happy, and that's probably how Heavenly Father felt about me.
• I thought about who wanted me to hate myself and my body because he intended to hurt me, and because he never got born and didn't have a body.

Then:

• I thought about how wonderful it was for me to have a body and mind that helped me be a great person.
• I thought, So what if my body isn't the one I want. I can be a great person no matter the kind of body I have. 
• Lastly, I thought about all the ways I could be a great person.

It's a lie made up by Satan that if I'm not the 'right' shape I need to feel ashamed and be that shape. The truth is that all kinds of body types exist and honestly how I look doesn't matter, but who I am. The idea that I have to be a certain body type distracts me from working on important things like aspects of my character.

What Actually Matters

A Great Quote

I read a talk yesterday that made me think so much of Per. The wife of the man I read about got quoted saying, "the man they have in mind is very different from the man I know. The man I know is a kind, loving husband and father whose greatest ambition in life is to make his family happy". She said that the public saw his stern side-one who followed rules, but his family saw his soft side-one who loved.

Comparing Americans and Swedes

A long time ago I heard a comparison between Americans and Swedes, it went like this: Americans are like peaches. When you first get to know them they are soft and sweet and easy to know. But the longer you know them, some are hard as rock in the middle and you wonder if they are really your friend. Swedes are like coconuts. Swedes are hard to get to know and tough to crack. But when you get into their hearts they are soft and sweet in the middle and a friend for life. When some Swedes trust, they are very loyal.

That comparison rings so true concerning Per-a Swede. He's hard to know and often get's misjudged. (For example, when he's quiet some people think he's snooty when the truth is that he has nothing of value to say. He's not the kind of person that babbles or says something to break the silence.)

The Truth

What matters about a person is who they really are-not who people 'think' they are. 

Believing the Truth Not Lies

I just read a great article! The most important thing I read is that people are loved no matter what they do or look like. 

• The article talks about how the world tells us to believe in lies about ourselves (like that we need to be a certain size, have a certain status, wear certain clothes, and the list goes on and on, in order to be "worthy" of acceptance and love), but that we need to believe the truth instead.

Lies

• The world tells us things to make us feel bad so that we'll buy their product or idea and feel good, it tells us things just to make us get what they're selling; it's all marketing. But the good feeling doesn't last, like an addict we want more and more.
• I bought the lies for years. Lies that made me hate and doubt myself. 
• One of the lies I believed had to do with perfection. I couldn't look into the mirror and say, "I love you" because I had flaws. I believed the lie that I had to be perfect instead of the truth that I needed to do my best. (Lie: Only 100% completion is okay. Truth: If my best is 10% not 100% then 10% completion is okay.)

Truths

• We need to only seek one person's love and acceptance. 
• I want to know the truth instead of lies. 
• I try hard. I do my best. I give my all. And if my best is less than perfect then it's okay.
• It's taken me a long time to be kind to myself, to be gentle with me, and to love myself because for a long time I thought I wasn't worthy and didn't deserve it. (Who put that idea in my mind? Who wants me to hate and who wants me to love? Why do they want it?) 

I resonate with everything in the article and think it's worth reading. To read the article click here.