“You can change! You can be anything you want to be in righteousness. If there is one lament I cannot abide, it is the poor, withered cry, ‘Well, that’s just the way that I am.’ I’ve heard it from too many people who want to sin and call it psychology. You can change anything you want to change, and you can do it very fast. Another satanic sucker punch is that it takes years and years and eons and eons to repent. That’s just not true. It takes exactly as long to repent as it takes you to say, ‘Ill change’ and mean it. Of course, there will be problems to work out and restitutions to make, . . . but change, growth, renewal, and repentance can come to you as instantaneously as for Alma.”
―Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Good morning!!! Every year people make New Year’s resolutions, and it’s almost a given that they won’t follow through with them for more than just a few days. Making a major change in your life requires great discipline and lots of willpower. In her book The Five Second Rule, Mel Robbins talks about how our minds have two gears. The first is automatic pilot; it loves when you do the same things over and over again. It’s safe and comfortable. The second gear is HOLY CRAP! THIS IS SOMETHING NEW! MUST PUT ON THE BRAKES ASAP!!! Our minds are wired to think that anything out of the ordinary is dangerous, and they will trick us into avoiding doing those things at all costs. That’s why it’s so hard to break old habits and start new ones.

Here are some things that will help you. Create a vision board. Cut out photos of the things you want in your life and put them on your board. You have to make sure you look at this board on a regular basis. Another thing is to make sure you’re doing self-affirmation talks. You need to speak in the present tense of how you want your life to be. You can look at yourself in the mirror say things like, “I am grateful that I landed my dream job of being an architect!”

Surround yourself with people who support your dreams. Oftentimes we have loved ones who love us so much that they’re afraid to see us fail that they’d rather see us live mediocre lives. They are just thinking in the short term how it would hurt less now to not try than to fall flat on our faces and fail. However, it will most certainly hurt more in the long run. Regret is the ultimate poison. Also, sometimes we have people in our lives who just don’t believe in us or put us down. Do everything you can to spend as much time with those who are already doing what you want to do, and surround yourself with those who regularly support, uplift, and believe in you!

Tony Robbins tells us that we have to elevate our standards. You need to become tunnel-visioned on your goals. Always focus on your long-term successes. It will take a lot longer and require a lot more effort to achieve your goals than you originally imagined. Don’t give up. Don’t compare yourself to others that are on a similar path. This is YOUR path! Trust in the process. Trust in God’s timing. Everything will work out in the end! It always does!

I hope that this message helps in some way or another. I want to help you become the person that you want to be and the person God knows you can be. I love each of you, and I hope you have a very happy New Year!!!

Photo cred 📷: Liz Hastings