The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and fills it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “YES”.

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family,
children, health, friends, and favorite passions. Things, that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.” he said.

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are
important to you...” he told them.

“So... pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Worship with your family. Play with your children. Take your partner out to dinner. Spend time with good friends. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap. Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled and said, “I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

(You could leave the coffee part out but it is good nonetheless)

It has been forever since I've posted. Which I say every time.. Classes this semester have kept me pretty busy though. I'm taking:

The Middle East

Fundamental Number Theory

Family Foundations

Natural Disasters

World Foundations

Motivation and Management

I wish I liked my classes as much as I did last spring but I have to deal with them. They are interesting for the most part but that' not everything. Obsessing over grades doesn't help that much either.. But it's frustrating to spend a lot of time on something to not do well on it or to do well on things and that doesn't change your grade but once you get a low grade on something it drops. Anyway enough complaining from me :)

I want to use my blog more for inspiring things I come across. Today was devotional and he talked about forgiving others and ourselves. Leave the past behind and move forward. Quietly forgiving and moving on is a gift to yourself. If you tell yourself daily your bad at something you will become that but if you say, I'm beautiful, I can do this etc you can. It is about your self image that can always be changed. Without forgiveness life is an endless cycle of resentment.

What is the lesson from Lot and his wife? One answered the Lord will destroy those who are wicked. Not so. The lesson is don't look back. We need not look back and dwell on happier times or sadder times. It does not change the here and now and will not help us while looking into the future. I have been looking at old pictures lately thinking, I miss that. I am always content with something other than what is happening now. I know that I need to enjoy the present and not dwell on the past or the future. I need to work on now so that the future will be good instead of trying to get there too soon.

Other random stuff:

"I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise."

Thomas S. Monson: My brothers and sisters, we are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness—be they family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers. We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.

If we all did the things we are capable of doing we would literally astound ourselves.

It's not hard to make decisions once you know what your values are.

We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have

Life is to be enjoyed not just endured

Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light

When life knocks you down... You are in the perfect position to pray.

The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was and the present worse than it is.

No matter how far wrong you've done you can always turn around.

What are you doing to make things better?

Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He can deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, com for their souls, and pour out peace. Ezra Taft Benson

Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid. Albert Einstein

Have you prayed about it as much as you've talked about it?

If you change nothing, nothing will change.

Don't give up. Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead.. You keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust god and believe in good things to come. Elder Holland

Faith in God includes faith in His timing.

We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day. Richard G. Scott

Today you are you that is truer than true. there is no one alive who is youer than you. Dr Suess

I plead with you to control your tempers, to put a smile upon your faces, which will erase anger; speak out with words of love and peace, appreciation, and respect. If you will do this, your lives will be without regret. Your marriages and family relationships will be preserved. You will be much happier. You will do greater good. You will feel a sense of peace that will be wonderful.

Yes, I definitely need to work on this more!! Everyone that knows me well knows that I am easily frustrated.. My life would be so much more peaceful if I just got over things. It is SO hard though... I did pretty good last semester because my goal was to be more patient and positive. So, when anything happened I just tried to get over it but once I started working when I got home it was all gone.. I do need to work on it more and think that it is only temporary and not to sweat the little things..
I'm good for now because I have the whole weekend and my birthday is tomorrow :) Then going to WV for the weekend. A much needed mini vacation. I definitely miss school and not so much that as the environment that I had when I was there. Being home has been wearing on me fast but I just need to stay above it. I know what I stand for and no one is going to change that so it'll be okay in the end, I guess :)

Some things I wrote down during Stake Conference last Sunday:
1. *Organize yourselves
-House of prayer, fasting, faith, learning, glory, order, a house of God
--pray always to be a conqueror to Satan
-Isaiah 58:6-7 summarized: let the oppressed go free and break every yoke
-Isaiah 58:8-9 " " : then shall thy light break forth and the Lord shall say here I am.
1 Nephi 3:7 I will go and do the things the Lord has commanded-He always prepares a way.
--Teach ye another- seek ye out the best books and learning from one another.
--Square with God, honest with ourselves and fair with others
-Keep slothfulness and uncleanness far from you
-Clean thoughts, noble purpose, willing heart.
-House of God takes constant vigilance.

2. When performance is measured, performance is improved.
-Confidence in ourselves and in God-don't be so easily distracted by the world.
--Unity will be fostered-accomplish same desires
-Meaningful goals and planning will help with what the Lord expects of us.
-To be able to make a great difference with the goals we attain.
-Mortality is filled with thorns that we have to go through to get back to the road we know we need to be on.
Hymn 319 If we united, all things we can do with an eye single to God
"If ye are not one, ye are not mine."

3. D&C 35 1-4 Prepare for the return of Jesus Christ. Love needs to be the motivation.
-Being charitable at all times- pray for the gift.
-When we are willing and trying to be Christ-like - if there is a will there is a way.
-Be willing to show others the way to come unto Him.
Isaiah 58:6-12
When we use, share and multiply what we've been given
-Virtue, uprightness, holiness, keeping all of the commandments.
-Comply with and keep those we've received- know the commandments first.
-Personal commandments to go and to do.
-Liken the scriptures to ourselves-listen for promptings.
-Person commandments- seek to be obedient and happiness will follow.

Another thing I have been thinking is one of the last things my Stake President said. Which was seek to be obedient and happiness will follow. Happiness is always there and we just need to work for it. Of course we will always have trials but we need to let trials strengthen us and not consume us or we will never progress.

RS Fireside :)

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous, outgoing, brave. (But I say), who are you NOT to be? YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD! Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you, (or because you feel you are not worthy). We are all meant to shine.. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in (all of us). -- Marianne Williamson

Joseph B. Wirthlin: It is wonderful to know that our Heavenly Father loves us--even with all our flaws! His love is such that even should we give up on ourselves, He never will. We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won't, for He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming.

-You cannot linger in temptation and expect to overcome sin.
I just thought of this saying. I remember hearing it a couple years ago and it has stuck with me. It is so true and a good reminder! Plus, it's pretty self explanatory so yeah.. :)

Obedience:
-Act on the Spirit
-Desire to be Christ-like
-How good can I be?
-Doing what you're supposed to- be where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there
-Changing your will even if it doesn't make sense
-Act of love
-Becoming something better
-Informed-desire

-You do things because you love Christ not because you have to
-Eternal perspective-not so focused on the here and now
-Can obey without understanding why
1 Nephi 9:6 "But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words."
-Heavenly Father doesn't give us commandments for His benefit but for our benefit and he always blesses us with a way to achieve them.
-Small choices bring great consequences
-By small and simple things are great things come to pass

Great 4th of July weekend

This weekend started off with some much needed shopping. I didn't really get too much but shopping is always fun :D Then Saturday I decided to be somewhat adventurous and float down a river on an inter-tube with my roommates. I'm not a good swimmer at all, so anything with water makes me a little iffy. I didn't fall in though, that's a plus. I did scrape my back on a rock but it didn't hurt that long. I made my roommate hold onto my raft :D but then going over a little waterfall I got turned backwards and couldn't stop and ran into a huge rock. I was glad to have the big tube then cause that didn't hurt. It was fun to get away from school and spent the day where my roommate lives and had dinner at her house. Then came back to my apartment Saturday night and then Sunday was church, food and games :) Can't go wrong there ;).

Monday was kind of interesting went swimming, sort of. It was freezing!! I watched some people jump of a bridge and that was entertaining. A guy that came with us cut his hand on a rock though.. so we took him to the ER. He had to have stitches but was good besides that. Then went to go see fireworks and roamed around there for a while and played some more games! The fireworks were really good though!!! Then it was time to go back home except it took 5 times as long because of traffic. I always wish people had a brain! Well I guess one they use anyway..

Now it's back to school but I'm optimistic about it! There's only like 2 weeks left and finals. Two of my finals are take home and two are more like opinion stuff so it shouldn't be too bad. I'm excited to go to Utah when this semester is over and then home!! :) But this weekend I know I'm going to a shooting range and canoeing. Then probably just buckling down for the rest of the semester. Then I'll be done with my first year of college!! I cannot believe how time has flown by!