A Man's job

What is the job only a man can have? It's the job that runs hand in hand with the only job a woman can have? It's a job that involves kids. It's a career that has been twisted and deformed thanks to TV; it's a job that's so important, you couldn't even imagine. I'm guessing you already know what the job is. If you don't, I'll give you one more hint. This career is is immediately put into effect after the birth of a child and continues for life. The position: Fatherhood.

Being a Father is one of the most important role a man can obtain. When you're a Father, you're mentoring a child. You're teaching it, you're being your child's example. How incredibly essential is that? As L. Tom Perry says, "A family needs a father to anchor it."1 We need Fathers who lead and guide their families.

There is a real need for faithful Fathers today. This was wisely said by A. Theodore Tuttle, "The father is the protector of the home. He guards it against the intrusion of evil from without. Formerly he protected his home with weapons and shuttered windows. Today the task is more complex. Barred doors and windows protect only against the intrusion of a corporeal creature. It is not an easy thing to protect one’s family against intrusions of evil into the minds and spirits of family members. These influences can and do flow freely into the home."2 Do you see why we need strong fathers? Children look up to you. There is way more that I could quote from this talk but I'm not going to. I'm pretty sure I got my point across and I don't want to bore you out of your minds.

Without fathers were would we be? No where. Fathers are teachers, leaders and guides. They're examples. The role of the father is to work and support his family. Today, especially on TV, the father figure has been shunned and changed. Now the women are the center of the family. I do agree with women being bold and helping to lead their families but they shouldn't be taking over the father's position. Being a father is something that only a man can do; women can come close but, just like everyone is unique, fathers have an important characteristic only men can hold.



1 Fatherhood, an Eternal Calling, L. Tom Perry
2 The Role of Fathers, A Theodore Tuttle

Learning from the past

This was also not written by me. This was written by Cutler, yet another member of my online class who wrote a speech.

Thank you Cutler, you did an amazing job.

 _____________

My passion is History. Reading about history, or learning about it, is like going back in time to the Romans, Aztecs, Greeks, and other ancient empires. History is learning about someone, or something, that shows all points of view of that object or person. It's like reading a thrilling novel, except that it's not fiction, or most of it isn't. It can also help you learn how to do things. For example, if you want to know how the first car was made, you could find a book about how they were made, and who made them. If you wanted to know how people like George Washington became famous, they're entire books about that.

Learning about history can also help you in everyday life. It can show you about people from the past, about the mistakes they made, and what happened because of those mistakes. For example, what started WWII was the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and that murder caused that war, in which thousands of people were killed. it shows you why murdering is bad. So history can show you the consequences of bad choices you could make. But it can also show you what happens if you make a good decision. Like how America fought for freedom. If we had not fought for our freedom, we would still be under the role of England, but because we fought for independence, we now can choose what we do.

And last of all, it's just for fun. For me learning about history is an opportunity to learn about your earlier family, about those people who you never knew. It opens up the past and reveals people that you never knew existed, and lets you learn about them. It lets you appreciate what those people did, so that those future people, us, could live in a better world and time.

Dumbledore's Army then and now

So, what does Harry Potter have to do with our nation today? A few months ago I would have been totally blank. But, believe it or not, Harry Potter does have something to do with our nation today. So do a couple other books like The Giver by Lois Lowry, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins and The Freedom Factor by Gerald N. Lund. A lot of books and movies can teach us things, we just have to be open and paying attention.

Sometimes it's easier to see what the book/movie is telling us and sometimes it's not. For example, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dolores Umbridge gives a speech when she arrives. At the conclusion of her speech, Hermione comments on how enlightening Umbridge's talk was. Harry and Ron misinterpret Hermione and think that she liked what Umbridge was saying. And understood it for another thing. Hermione explains that what Umbridge was saying, though not very clearly stated, is that the Ministry of Magic is interfering at Hogwarts. We see later that the Ministry of Magic is indeed interfering; Defense Against the Dark Arts classes turn into Reading About the Dark Arts/no wands allowed class and Umbridge takes over the school.

Unfortunately, it's not so easy to see when people are taking over. It's almost always that way. And when we do know what's going on, we don't always do anything about it. Funny, huh? Well, we should be doing something, shouldn't we? Of course! We need to be like Dumbledore's Army. That doesn't mean we should be practicing spells in secret, it means we need to stand up and fight back. Our weapons should be our voices and our thoughts. We don't need force, just us, our opinions and views. I mean, it was with those exact things that our nation was born in. It started with the Puritans, a religious group from England seeking for freedom to believe and teach openly. And then we had a Revolutionary War in which we fought for freedom against oppression. And there was the American Civil War where we freed slaves, but unfortunately we would have to have a Civil Rights movement to finally gain everyone's freedom. And of course we can't forget all the other stuff in between like the Women's Suffrage movement.

So, how can we make a difference? First off, there's always writing political leaders. You can also go to city counsel meetings. I've been to one and it's actually pretty entertaining. (Of course, I'm kind of nerdy that way.) My Mom told me once that somebody she knew went to a city counsel meeting and found out that a building was going to be built in their town. The catch: the building would help boost the city's leaders financially. Then she was able to warn the town and the building wasn't built. Amazing, huh? I think so. Just think, one ordinary person ended up making a big difference. And it doesn't have to be a big difference, it could be a small one; it all adds up in the end. All you have to do is write a message or attend a meeting. It's just that simple.

What are you still doing here?! Grab your wand (aka pencil or pen) and get started! You think problems are going to fix themselves? Go on, get outta here; go do something today that can help the nation tomorrow. It's your homeland too, you know. Get up, you could do something as simple as supporting your town or city's leaders. You never know, maybe you'll be the one making a difference.

What is a Hero

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/christophe141891.html#6dGMbF7PBX0RieTz.99

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/christophe141891.html#6dGMbF7PBX0RieTz.99

What do you think? See, everyone has a different opinion of what a hero is. For some it's a person who does something extraordinary like saving someone from a burning building, for others it's a person who has superhuman abilities and for some it's just an ordinary person who stands up for whats right. So, I'll ask again; what do you think makes a hero?

Benjamin Clark, a little known 9/11 hero. Benjamin was only a chief but he  made sure that everyone on his floor got out. He even stopped to help an elderly women in a wheelchair. Benjamin Clark was a hero who sacrificed his life for others. Christopher Reeve, known for his role as Superman, says that "A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." Benjamin Clark fits this description as well as the other heroes of 9/11. There are many other heroes like Benjamin; the teachers who protected their students at the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, teachers at the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, among others. Benjamin Clark heroes are everywhere.

Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Women, Hulk and Spider-Man are only some of the iconic superheroes of  our TV, video games and comic books. Each one of these heroes has a superhuman power; for Spider-Man it's the ability to shot spider webbing out of his fingers, one of Superman's powers is that he has x-ray vision. Comic book superheroes have been around for ages and have made an impression on our society, mostly for the good. Each of these superhuman beings have a reason to fight crime. For Wonder Women it's because she has a calling, for Spider-Man it's a sense of responsibility. Now, some of our fictional superheroes don't have any powers; namely, Batman and Robin, Karate Kid, Star-Spangled Kid and MacGyver. All of the heroes listed fight crime in one way or another, whither with powers or brains. We learn from our heroes without powers that all you need is quick thinking and wits. We don't need to have come from the planet Krypton or be bitten by a radioactive spider to be a hero.

Anyone can be a hero. You may not think so but you can. You don't have to save someone from a building or fly to the rescue to be a hero. In my opinion, one definition of a hero is a person who stands up for the truth and doesn't back down. I agree with Bob Riley who said, "Hard times don't create heroes. It is during the hard times when the 'hero' within us is revealed." I'd also like to repeat what Christopher Reeve said, "A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." Everyone has a hero inside them. You can be a hero when you stand up to bullying or when you decline a cigarette. Everyone is a hero in their own way.

I can't say exactly what a hero is; everyone has a different say on the matter. But I can say this, the world needs heroes. Yes, we could use big heroes but more importantly, we need everyday heroes. Heroes who depend virtue and light. Are you one of these heroes?

Never forgotten

What if you worked really hard on one thing just to have it all thrown down the drain? For example, say you've been working on an art project for most of your life. All you do is think about it, wrestle with it and keep going through with it even when you get bogged down and you want to dump it. You've messed up, tried again and again, and then, finally, you finish it. You present it to your family and friends, who all give you positive feedback and congratulations. So, then you send it to an art expedition and…it's a total disaster. The public says it's terrible and unfit to show. In other words, they hated it. How are you feeling now? Discouraged, depressed, sad, upset, angry, hurt and unfair are probably going through your head. I wonder if that's how our founding fathers would feel if they were to observe our nation today. I imagine they'd be feeling a mixture of wonderment and wistfulness. I mean, they created a very fine nation that's grown and matured, but from what I've seen, we've kind of thrown some of it away. One of those examples is that some people don't believe that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution apply today. Well, I know that both those documents are important and still matter. Without them we wouldn't have the same great nation we have today. How do I know? Allow me to explain.

I read a book by Gerald N. Lund called The Freedom Factor; it's all about a guy named Bryce Sherwood and how he learns the importance of the Constitution. Bryce is Senator Benjamin Hawkes' aide and, at the time, he is helping Hawkes to pass an amendment that will erase the checks and balances in the Constitution. Soon Nathaniel Gorham, one of the signers of the Constitution, comes to Bryce and transports him to a world where the Constitution never existed. There Bryce learns why the Constitution is so critical to our country. The US is spilt into different colonies, so to speak. I personally found the book very eye-opening. Mr. Lund is only guessing at what our nation would be like without the Constitution but he diffidently got his point across: we need the Constitution. Our founding fathers labored diligently for us. They argued and thought their brains out to make our nation the best they could and the least we can do is put their hard work to good use. In the Constitution it says, "We, the people." It's not "We, the government." We, as in you, me and everyone. You don't have to be the President or a member of the government to make a difference.

Furthermore the Declaration of Independence is just as meaningful as the Constitution. The Declaration of Independence is literally our declaration of independence. We separated from Great Britain and our founding fathers wrote the document to prove it. To prove that we were serious and we would not back down until we got our freedom and independence. And we did. We did it even though we were up against what looked like unbeatable odds. As Winston Churchill would later say, "We fight not for glory, not for riches, not for honor; we fight only and alone for freedom, which no good man surrenders, save with his life." All the men, women and even children who gave their time, effort and sometimes even their lives, deserve, from us, a kind of tribute. And I think one of the best ways to do that would be to honor them by honoring our country and founding fathers. That means putting our foot in there and speaking up, doing what we can to help our nation.

So, maybe you still think that these documents don't apply or matter in this day and age. Well, I'd like to ask a question. Are you religious? If so, do you believe in the Bible? If you are not religious, then I'd like to ask, do you believe in ancient history? Now, let me tell you this, the Bible, ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt; all that came before both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Do you think that the principles in the Bible apply today? Do you believe that Archimedes helped to shape our world today? If all that is true, then why can't the Constitution and The Declaration of Independence also apply and matter in this era? I can't see why not. I mean, they're just as important, although maybe a foot or two behind the Bible, but still, very critical to our nation. The Constitution is where we get the right of free speech and our choice of religion, among other rights. The Declaration of Independence tells us that all men are equal and it lists the twenty seven reasons why the colonists wanted to break free of Great Britain. (And actually, if we were to look at the list of grievances we might see some that are going on today.) This declaration also tells us "that whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness." It also says "that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, then to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce then under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security." That means that we, the people, need to be getting our hands dirty, not standing back watching others do it. It means that we need to come out of our shells and change what needs to be changed. And not only that, but it's our right as citizens, in fact it's our duty to do it. So, jump off the fence and dive right in. We've got to preserve our nation. As the wise Abraham Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address, "It is for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -  that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." To me all that says that it's our nation, so we need to fight for the freedom and liberty of it and never back down. We need to, as they say, "fight the good fight." In this case we're fighting for a lasting nation and freedom.

So, the next time someone says that the Declaration of Independence doesn't matter, tell them that it does. It applied then and so it applies now. Why wouldn't it? Just because it was written decades ago? To me that just sounds like an excuse. Our founding fathers, their work and effort, those precious, meaningful, important things should never be forgotten.

______________

This is the speech that I was going to give in my online class. I spent about a month or two preparing this speech and then I wrote a timed essay (Becoming who you were born to be) that I really liked so I didn't give this one in class.

One of the most important jobs in the universe

This job is sometimes seen as a burden or a pain. It can be looked at as a gift and a blessing. It all depends on how you look at it. Today, this job is specifically important. Unfortunately, this career can only be done by women; men have an equally important job that counters the one I will be addressing today. So, are you interested in this job? Alright then, you must be or you wouldn't still be reading this. I'd like to ask you a couple application questions. 1) Do you like kids? 2) Are you patient or could you learn to be? 3) Have you worked with children before? 4) Are you okay with having a few sleepless nights? 5) Would you mind being about kids 24/7? If you have answered yes to any of these questions then you are an excellent candidate for this essential responsibility. The job: Motherhood.


If you think that motherhood is not a job, let me try to convince you that it is. First off, where would we be without mothers? Who cooks most of the time? Who nurtures and loves you? I can't imagine life without mothers, and actually, there wouldn't be any life without mothers. If you still don't believe me then I challenge you to notice all the things mothers do for a whole week. What we see is only the tip of the iceberg.


Motherhood isn't a burden; it's a gift. We may not always think so, but it is. In fact, it's one of the greatest jobs there is. And being a mom is just as much a job as a police officer and it's just as important as the President of the United States, if not more. Mothers play a fundamental role in our time. I mean, this is an age where we can be easily confused and disoriented due to all the hectic views and choices all over the place that we have to make. mothers and Fathers have to work together to keep their families safe.

D. Todd Christofferson, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for the LDS church expounds his view on motherhood in his talk, The Moral Force of Women.

"From age immemorial, societies have relied on the moral force of women. While certainly not the only positive influence at work in society, the moral foundation provided by women has proved uniquely beneficial to the common good. Perhaps, because it is pervasive, this contribution of women is often underappreciated. I wish to express gratitude for the influence of good women, identify some of the philosophies and trends that threaten women’s strength and standing, and voice a plea to women to cultivate the innate moral power within them.

Women bring with them into the world a certain virtue, a divine gift that makes them adept at instilling such qualities as faith, courage, empathy, and refinement in relationships and in cultures.

...A woman’s moral influence is nowhere more powerfully felt or more beneficially employed than in the home. There is no better setting for rearing the rising generation than the traditional family, where a father and a mother work in harmony to provide for, teach, and nurture their children. Where this ideal does not exist, people strive to duplicate its benefits as best they can in their particular circumstances.

In all events, a mother can exert an influence unequaled by any other person in any other relationship. By the power of her example and teaching, her sons learn to respect womanhood and to incorporate discipline and high moral standards in their own lives. Her daughters learn to cultivate their own virtue and to stand up for what is right, again and again, however unpopular. A mother’s love and high expectations lead her children to act responsibly without excuses, to be serious about education and personal development, and to make ongoing contributions to the well-being of all around them. Elder Neal A. Maxwell once asked: “When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses?”" 1

This is only a part of what Elder Christofferson has said.

In this day the role of mothers has been beaten and kicked aside. In television shows and movies we see women as tough, mean and unfeeling. While women should be steadfast and courageous, being heartless and rude is not the mother's role. As Margret D. Nadauld has said, "The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity."2 This is so true. 

A mother's job is to care and nurture her children while her husband works and supports the family. In some homes this isn't the case; sometimes the mother needs to work in order to help her family. That's fine, but remember: the time with her loved ones is crucial.

So, what do you think about motherhood now? I don't know if I've changed your perspective for the good or not, but either way, please notice what mothers do for a week. You will be amazed.


1 The Moral Force of Women, D. Todd Christofferson
2 The Joy of Womanhood, Margaret D. Nadauld

Faith, Hope and Charity

 Before you start reading this speech, I'd first like to say that this was not written by me. This was written by D'Ani, who is a part of the online class I keep mentioning.

She did such a great job that I asked her if I could post it here on my blog. She obvisously agreed.

So, thank you, D'Ani, for writing such an inspirational speech.

  ________

Faith, Hope and Charity

I would like to start by asking all of you a fairly simple question: what could you not live without?

I am sure all of you had something automatically pop into your minds. The more sensible of you probably thought of food, water and oxygen; the more loyal and sociable of their friends, families and pets. I wonder how many of you thought of your cellphones and iPods.

I agree with all of these things, and yet I would like to add a few more to that list, and those are Faith, Hope and Charity. This may sound incredibly peculiar to you, and maybe even irritatingly preachy, so allow me to explain.

“Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.” ~ Corrie ten Boom.

“Hope... it is the only thing greater than fear.” ~ President Snow from the Hunger Games movie.

“All you need is love, all you need is love, all you need is love, love, love is all you need.” ~ The Beatles.

These are all such wonderful virtues and, judging by the quotes here, incredibly useful.

Now, I do not claim to be a great example of any of these, as I struggle as much as the next person with all of these characteristics and am altogether too sarcastic, cynical and judgemental. However, I have been influenced by each of these principles, whether by exercising a particle of one or recognizing a lack of one in myself. I have also been influenced by others who do possess these qualities and have made a difference in my life.

Each one of these qualities is desperately important, on its own and all together. Let us begin with faith.

Faith means so much to me. For a Personal Progress goal, I wrote a poem on faith, though I will not bother reciting it and boring you all. However, it taught me a lot about faith and I really broadened my personal definition. I had always thought that faith was just a religious word for belief, and had been told before that “Faith is an action word”, but that was really all I thought.

Then when I actually had to think about it I realized that, at least for me, it was my reason for doing things. I will wake up between 5:30 and 5:45 in the freezing winter so I can attend Seminary, and I know many people who wake up even earlier. I will sacrifice my time and effort so I can help teach lessons in YW and Seminary, so I can study the scriptures, and memorize Scripture Mastery, and I know that most of you do likewise.

Why?

Before you say it is because your parents make you, stop and reconsider. Do your parents have the physical ability to force you into learning anything? They can demand you do things, and nag and bribe you, and try to persuade you, but they cannot force. That's Agency for ya. Why we do these things is because we have faith that it will be worth it in the end. The Prophets have told us to, and we have faith in their word. We have faith that it is the right thing to do.

Faith is not just religious, though, and the same counts for our schoolwork. Nobody forced you into writing your speech, into logging on into class today, into preparing presentations for your platoon, into doing any of the assignments. We chose to do them, because we had faith it would be worth it and helpful. We do it because we are willing to take a leap of faith and do what we are told is right.

It is faith in what is right that gives us hope, and hope is such a powerful thing. Just ask the elephants.

Young elephants in captivity will be kept chained up tightly in order to break their spirits and keep them from escaping. Their natural hunger for freedom will drive them to fight for some time and try to escape, but doing so will bring them physical anguish from the chains around their legs and eventually, inevitably, they will give up and become broken.

It is said that elephants never forget, and as they grow older they will remember their pain from trying to fight and will not try to escape, even though the chain that holds them captive could be broken effortlessly by their now strong limbs. A thin piece of rope will contain them, because they remember that chain and the pain it brought.

They gave up hope for freedom and stopped fighting for it, and because of it they will spend the rest of their miserable lives in captivity. I do not blame or seek to scorn them for this, as I know I would do the same. I merely mourn for them, and try to learn from their experience and hope you will all do the same.

Hope can make all the difference. It has the ability to make a terrible trial into a learning experience. No matter what we are bombarded with in life, we must never lose hope, for it is hope that gives us the power to be great and rise above our challenges. It is hope that gives us the strength in this dark, treacherous world, to show forth light and charity.

One of the greatest examples of charity are the great Cornelia and Elisabeth ten Boom, whose names you should all recognize.

They jeopardized their own safety to help others and even after they were caught they did not lose their charity. In the darkest time, stuck in jail and death camps, they never stopped thinking of others. They held prayer meetings for their fellow prisoners and could often be found trying to lift others up and help them ease their burdens. They shared their Bible with others and their knowledge and truth. They shared their medicine with the other ill prisoners, and found that they always had enough. They were kind and loving to those struggling, vulnerable women which surrounded them.

Yet their charity was not limited to those who suffered with them, but also to the guards and those who made them suffer. Betsie felt pity for those wandering souls, lost without the Word of God to guide them, and wished to be able to help. Corrie, with the help of her Lord, found herself able to forgive one of the Nazis who had made her and her family suffer so much during the years of the Second World War.

To Corrie and Betsie, charity was not just a word used by strangers knocking on your door and requesting a donation, but the way that they were able to get by with dignity and a sense of purpose. Charity, the purest form of love, can do the same for us if we only allow it.

In fact, all three of them can, for we need all three to be complete. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a leader in my Church, described them as a three legged stool, with each virtue playing a dire role in the integrity of the design. In my Corebook, or book of Scriptures, we are taught to “See that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.” (Alma 7:24). We are also taught that “If you have not faith, hope, and charity, you can do nothing.” (D&C 18:19). Clearly, these are very important virtues, and we must try to obtain them if we ever hope to be good people.

It is physically impossible for anyone to fully, impeccably develop all three qualities. Imperfection is the one attribute that all humans undoubtedly have, despite what some may think and say. Because perfection is unattainable in our mortal form, it means that we can never stop striving to achieve and obtain such Godly qualities. That is my challenge to all of you, one that I myself will be taking up.

No matter how sweet and meek you may be, there is always room for improvement. Perhaps your thoughts are not as sweet as your words. Perhaps there is one person, maybe a sibling, with whom you simply cannot seem to share the same kind of love. Perhaps you have given up hope in something or someone. Whatever it is, you know what you can improve. I am sure many of you have reasons and excuses why you should not try to improve it. Right now, take a moment to think about those things. While you are at it, consider what holds you back from having, showing, or feeling faith, hope, or charity in that instance. Hold those thoughts in your mind for a moment and, taking a deep breath, release them and try anyways.

Whether you choose to accept my challenge or not, I will be doing so, for I know my weaknesses and hope to overcome them. To those that will take up my challenge, I promise you that you will not regret it, for true happiness comes not from wealth or success, but from showing forth those three vital characteristics: that is, Faith, Hope and Charity.

Becoming who you were born to be

Becoming who you were born to be

What if everyone decided to stay the way they are right at this moment and never change? Life would be so much different. Nothing new would be invented, we'd be stuck. It'd be like living in the Doldrums from The Phantom Tollbooth. In the Doldrums you do nothing. Well, you do something, but nothing productive. In the Doldrums, you're not allowed to think, laugh or smile. It's against the rules. And the inhabitants, the Lethargarians, follow the same schedule every day. How boring, not to mention unproductive. That why we have to mature, learn and grow. We are the next generation and we have a responsibility to shape our world.

There are many ways to become the people we need to be; to be the person Heavenly Father, or some may say fate, has in store for us. First, we have to want to find our inner person, so to speak. Second, we need to find out what we're passionate about and really ponder on how it can help the world. Third, make a goal. A goal is written down. Someone once said that a goal that is not written down isn't a goal, it's a wish. And your goal needs to have little things that you can do every day or just on a regular basis. Doing little things may seem like a small place to start but I know that little things can lead to bigger things

So, we have a responsibility. A responsibility to help build our planet. But we also have a responsibility to ourselves. What does that mean? Let me go in depth a bit. We all have a mission in life. Some people might even have more than one. Not everyone knows what their life mission is, some do, some have a guess. There are websites where you can take this quiz that can help you determine your mission. Sean Covey's website has The Great Discovery map. I've done it and it's pretty enlightening. But that doesn't mean that you're going to find out what your mission is like that. If you do know what your mission is, or you have a good idea, then I'd like you ask you a question: Are you willing to step up and fulfill you mission? IF you're still searching, then look inside you. I don't mean like an x-ray; I mean look at your talents and abilities. You were given these by God/fate. There is a plan for you. Maybe your mission is to be a mother or father. Maybe you'll be a political leader or help child hunger. Either way, use your given talents to your fullest extent.

What if you decided to lock away your talents? What if you decided that your talents weren't important? I can't really say what would happen but life would be different. You may not think that being a parent is a really important job compared with police officers, but being a parent really is. Think about it, you're raising children, you're teaching them, caring for them. It's every bit as important as the millions of other jobs out there. EVERYONE has gifts, talents and abilities that can change the world. I'm not joking. I know that you have potential and great worth, you just have to find and use it. You really can make a difference.

In our day and time, we need leaders to stand up and take charge. We don't need leaders who sit around and watch. Do something! You are special; you have a unique and divine purpose. You have light inside you that needs to be shared; don't hide it away. As Marianne Williamson said, “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?' Actually, 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. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” There are thousands of people in the world who don't know what their life missions are. Maybe your mission is to help them. Do something today that can change you. Not the world, you. Just start with yourself and, given time, you can change the future. But remember, only you can choose to become the person you were born to be.

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This is a speech I wrote for an online class I'm taking. We had to write a speech. I wrote one but then I wrote this, which started out as a 5 paragraph essay and then turned into my speech. I'll probably put my original speech on later. 

I don't know if any of that made sense!