"We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day."
"An axiom we all understand is that you get what you pay for."
We will be what we make ourselves, there is no other way. We cannot become better just by wanting it, we have to work for it. I have been thinking a lot lately about what kind of person I want to be and I just couldn't figure out how to become that person, but I guess it comes from just doing it- even if it doesn't feel comfortable at first. I can't grow by only ever doing what is comfortable and normal. I just have to keep working at it and be consistently reaching and trying to do better.
I liked the hope that was offered at the end of this talk when he said "If you have determined to live righteously, don’t become discouraged. Life may seem difficult now, but hold on tightly to that iron rod of truth. You are making better progress than you realize."
I think this has to be the talk that has really hit me the most so far. It might help that I also had to give a talk on this talk so I did a lot of studying it :) Those two quotes you started with are the two that kind of sum up the point of the talk for me. I also liked that he specifically pointed out that our character and faith grow in relation to each other like a cycle. More faith = more character and more character = more faith. The nice thing about a cycle is that you can start at whatever level you are currently at and always get better as long as you continue to put in the effort.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the statement: "You cannot be passive in life, or in time the natural man will undermine your efforts to live worthily. You become what you do and what you think about." I know I sometimes get in a situation where I think things are just fine and I get settled into a routine and then after a time I realize I haven't been actively doing those things I know I should. Yes, I still go to church and read my scriptures and say my prayers, but it's like I'm on autopilot. That way of living makes us susceptible to transgression and we need to remember that. I'm sure that's why the sacrament prayers we hear each week use the words "always remember." We need to be passionate about the gospel and live it passionately, not passively.
There is just so much great stuff in this talk!