Skip to main content

I Wanna Be the Very Best, Like No One Ever Was

Dear Reader,


Don't judge if you know what song those lyrics are from. I may or may not have the entire song memorized (Of course, that is the case with lots of songs in my head). Despite the origin of the lyrics and our main topic, that is the truth. I want to be the best at what I do. Although, while thinking about what to do with my life, there came an epiphany. What you want to become and what you want to do are two totally different things. 

Let me illustrate with a couple questions and examples. If you are wanting to get good grades in school, do you study in order to get those grades? Or are you one to go be with friends when you should be doing your homework? In other words, to you want to be a good student? Wanting to be a good student is different than wanting to spend time with friends. 

Here is another example of being vs. doing. Many members of religious organizations (not just the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) want to be in good standing with God and to be thought of as disciples of Christ. What do they want to do? They want to go out and be promiscuous, party or be lazy in performing their Christian duties. What they want to do and what they want to be are two different things.

The main point I'm trying to get across is that we have to do the things required for what we want to be. In my case, I want to be a great music director and understand all the nuances of music as an art form. This means that I have to do the things that will make me that person, such as practice singing, piano, conducting, and even keeping myself in shape. On the other hand, a person who drinks, smokes, is lazy, does not read their scriptures, etc, will become a person who is a bum.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

You make me dance like a fool, forget how to breath, shine like gold...

Dear Readers, Ok, so I can't fit the entire title into the title box. It's a good song, go look it up: "You make me smile." The title can apply to anyone, I've found. The rest of the lyrics would probably refer to a best friend or a significant other, but anyone can make you smile. They all have the own way of doing it. Some are just funny all the time and you can't help smiling when you're around that person. I know some who take care of people so well that you just smile when they're doing something for another. Others you can talk to about your problems and no matter what they say, it seems to make sense and you feel better...thus a smile. Ok, a smile doesn't always come in that case, but people usually smile after that. Anyone can have a blonde moment and make everyone smile because of it. I'm glad I've got friends who can do all of these: have blonde moments, take care of others or have an episode of hyperactivity that you can't he...

Am I Proud to Be an American?

This weekend is the 4th of July, or Independence Day in the United States of America. One of my favorite songs during this time of celebrating the country is "God Bless the USA." The words paint a detailed picture of the beauty of the United States, both in a physical and emotional aspect. Our country is often depicted in a majestic manner such as this, making it seem like the greatest in the world and we often hear those bold words, "I'm proud to be an American."  With all of the issues that have been cropping up over the past couple of years such as impeachment, systemic racism, foreign intervention, and most significantly the COVID-19 pandemic, I have reflected deeply about what we celebrate with the 4th of July. These issues are just a few of the many that have made me wonder about the country we praise so proudly.  Am I really proud to be an American?  Thomas Jefferson wrote the candid words of the Declaration of Independence, which were th...

Book of Mormon Stories

Dear Reader, Today I simply want to share a story that has strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon over the years. Professor Felix Mynhardt was fluent in many languages, including English, Afrikaans, Hebrew and Egyptian, as well as many others. He was employed as a language professor when he had been praying that the Lord would give him some divinely important task that would justify his having this gift of language from God. In 1970 he visited with a group of Mormon leaders, who sought to commission him to translate the Book of Mormon from English into Afrikaans. He said that he knew of the Book of Mormon from his religions studies, and his initial reaction was that he did not want to be involved in translating it. However, that evening, as he prayed upon his knees, as was his habit, he said the Spirit of the Lord convinced him. The message was something on the order of, "You asked me for a great, divinely inspired task of translation, I sent it to you in the form o...