Are You A Slave to Your Time? - Thinkjoust Tuesday #51

Today's thinkjoust was requested by a loyal reader.

The modern era offers us more options to fill our time than ever before. With the internet and other means of instant media, the world can be at our fingertips with only a few keystrokes.

The thing is, it's easy to drown under all these options. While some people make efforts to improve themselves, others find themselves doing things that are easy or unfulfilling. With the high-speed lifestyle most of modern life demands, it's one thing to take a break, but are breaks all we do with our free time?

So, how do you balance your time? Are you master over what you choose to do, or are you a slave to routine? How does technology help you? How does it hinder you? What brings value to your life? Do you feel like you're actually living life, or merely waiting for endings?

Be sure to comment below, and you may be featured in Saturday's post, when I respond and talk about my own habits.

Love ya!

I Conquer Weakness

This week's past two posts have talked about my lack of perfection and my mistake-making. The conclusion to this mini-arc focuses on how I combat my insecurities and weaknesses and turn them into strengths.

I imagine myself as a monarch over a castle. My best self is kept safe inside the castle walls.

So the gray part is my castle, the green part is grass, and I'm the yellow dot.

I'm ready to defend myself from any weaknesses that want to come in and wreck the place, thus holding back my best self.

Sure enough, before long, I'm attacked by two vices (the purple dots holding cutlasses). Let's say these are pride and anger. I rush to defend myself.

But then two more vices come onto the scene. These guys could be envy and hatred. Fearing the new threat, I rush to answer their assault, leaving pride and anger to attack my right flank.

But before I can do anything about envy and hatred, laziness and greed swoop in from the east. I leap forward, ready to take these new enemies out.

But then, lust and discontent barrel into the fray, and I race past laziness and greed to contend with these new enemies.

But by then, it's too late.

Because I spent so much time jumping from threat to threat, I never fired a single arrow. My defense was useless, and now all of my weaknesses are successfully battering down my best self.

I should have taken the time to tackle one weakness at a time. If, instead of racing to the new threat the moment it presented itself, I'd taken aim and gotten rid of the issues currently in front of me, then I might not have become overwhelmed.

Yes, by the time I took out pride, anger, envy, and hatred, the others might have put some sizable dents into my castle. However, the damage they would have ended up doing would have been far less than the entire combined body working together unhindered.

Now let's jump into the real world application.

We all have weaknesses and things that keep us from being our best selves. I have so many, in fact, that I am often overwhelmed by all the work I have to do on myself. Because I get caught up trying to balance so many things at once, I end up doing nothing at all.

So here's my advice.

Pick one thing about yourself that you want to work on. Focus on that one thing for a week. If you're satisfied you made progress, move on to focus on something new. As time goes on, you will find yourself circling back to the first thing you picked. You may not recognize improvement in yourself all at once, but taking things one step at a time will help you continue moving forward, as opposed to being overwhelmed and stagnating.

So get on up top of your castle's ramparts with a bow and a smile, and start picking off your personal goals one by one. I'll be right beside you in my own castle, plugging away myself.

I Make Mistaeks

As I said on Tuesday, I'm not perfect. And part of not being perfect is making mistaeks.

Mistaeks are things I struggle with. I have a hard time letting them go, if you remember my personality type from the 16 personalities post. As the website states, "[I] define [my] self-esteem by whether [I am] able to live up to [my] ideals, and sometimes ask for criticism more out of insecurity than out of confidence, always wondering what [I] could do better. If [I] fail to meet a goal or to help someone [I] said [I'd] help, [my] self-confidence will undoubtedly plummet."

As an example, I am a very huggy, touchy-feely sort of person who grew up in a household full of huggy, touchy-feely sort of people. Sure, some of us grew out of that, but I didn't. And so I sometimes make a jerkwad of myself when I go in for a hug with a friend I consider close, and they ain't havin' it.

Or other times, I make inappropriate jokes that sounded a whole lot better or even just cleaner inside my head. Sometimes I totally forget that I made a commitment. Other times, I'm just selfish and don't want to give my time of day to people who really need it.

And then I can't stop thinking about what I did wrong. I keep agonizing and sweating over my failures and wishing I didn't make such a fool of myself all the time.

I could go on. The thing is, no matter how many mistaeks I make, I know things are going to turn out all right.

I know this because things have turned out all right before.

So if you're anything like me, and you hate the mistakes you make, don't worry. Through the grace of our Savior, Jesus Christ, there will be nothing left broken or unhealed.

He hasn't left me yet, despite everything.

Appreciation: Spiders, Mosquitoes, and Beetles

Genesis 1:26 - "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion ... over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

Don't forget to add your voice to Tuesday's thinkjoust! The poll is located just to the top of the column on the right-hand side!

I'll be honest with you; this beetle has absolutely nothing to do with the post. This particular insect was just more visually appealing than the other subjects we will be discussing presently.

Several of my comrades have returned from their forays into the basements of my workplace complaining of a most insidious group of marauders - the deadly spiders.

Of course, from what I can gather, most people only dislike spiders because of the way they move. Something about the way those eight little legs churn give people the willies. I've also heard that a lot of people are scared of being bitten by a poisonous spider. That's a genuine fear--I've seen horrible pictures of the effects some spider venom has on human flesh--but it's rather racist to assume every spider you run into is poisonous. Look up the poisonous spiders in your area so you can identify them. Odds are, 95% of the spiders you run into are completely harmless, right?

Right?

No? You still want to assume all spiders are poisonous? All right, I'l try a different tack.

The common house spider is one of the least proactive predators on the planet. Seriously. It weaves a web and waits for something to fly into it. Yes, I'm aware some spiders are more hunters than fishers, but let's be honest here; the spiders we're familiar with are probably all web weavers.

The cool thing about these web weavers is that they straight-up protect us from far more aggressive insects. Take the mosquito, for instance. Not only can those little blood-suckers fly, they are able to maintain a near-invisibility when their nighttime hunting begins. They leave bites all over your body, which itch like the dickens, and you can be sure they didn't sterilize their proboscis after biting your friend and then coming after you.

Spiders eat these things. By the dozens. Spiders are useful. Spiders are our friends.

These arguments fell on deaf ears. An exterminator was called to eradicate the spider population in the basements. Though I never saw the sight, hundreds upon hundreds of our mosquito-eating friends lay prone on the floor, their legs pointing toward heaven.

I kid you not, literally a day after the extermination, I heard people complain about mosquito bites for the first time all summer.

I truly do believe God puts everything here on earth for a reason. "Why did he put spiders on the earth, then," someone might ask. I would respond that the spiders are here to protect us from mosquitoes. "Why did God put mosquitoes on the earth, then?"

So we can appreciate spiders all the more.

You, too, have a purpose here on earth. There are so many things you do, every day, that someone notices and admires. No matter how insignificant or disregarded you may feel, your contribution means something. It has worth. Don't be afraid to let your light so shine.

Weaknesses: Terrible Repair Job

Ether 12:27 - "... for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then I will make weak things become strong unto them."

It was a beautiful day at my workplace. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and I was strolling through a building double-checking my job well done.

As I passed by a certain sink, I noticed something seemed off. Oh, ho! I thought. What's this?

Upon further inspection, I discovered this.

Well, what was the point of that? I thought.

I left the building shortly thereafter. The sun was still shining. The birds were still singing.

Everything was fine.

Whoever had been assigned to work on that hole in the wall had ended up covering it up rather than just taking care of the problem. I'm sure he had plans to eventually come back, but as it was, the problem still remained. Any of the youths coming in for a conference would undoubtedly be more intrigued by the cover-up job than they would have been by the hole itself.

Much like a hole in the wall, I am continually aware of my negative qualities. Sometimes, I am actively attempting to improve myself. Other times, I try to ignore I have a problem and move on.

I have personally found that, as I make improvements, the overall pain I feel decreases because I have to shoulder the burden for a shorter amount of time. When I try to ignore the things I dislike about myself, it becomes much harder to bear.

No matter what happens, though, things aren't as bad as they seem. I may have a glaring weakness, but there are still so many positives out there in the world today.

After all, the sun is still shining. The birds are still singing. And I am still working.

Teamwork: eSport Tournament

1 Peter 2:17 - "Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the King."

A new video game just came out recently, and in order to raise awareness for the game, the company decided to run a team-based tournament exclusively for college students. The reward for winning said tournament would be three years of college tuition absolutely free. One of my fellow RAs, who got into the original Beta for the game, invited me to join his team, and I accepted.

Our standing in the tournament is a little shaky at the moment, it's true, but we're confident we haven't completely blown our chance yet. As it is, as we've worked together to hone our skills, I've recognized some very important things about, you guessed it, teamwork.

I still find it funny nobody has ever called me out on a title drop yet, but hey.

We all have really good ideas about how to accomplish important objectives, but sometimes, we don't all work toward the same objective at the same time. As it is, our individual strengths are fifthed as we separate and, usually, end up failing all the objectives we originally set out to accomplish. Our strengths as individuals really shine when we move through the objectives as a collective unit, working together to find solid success.

I never thought I'd say this, but as in video games, as in life. Each of us are capable of standing on our own, but the Lord has given us weaknesses along with our strengths. When we find others with complementary strengths, we are able to accomplish more than when we stand alone.

And that, my friends, is why people are awesome.

Adversity: Changed Perspective

Acts 9:18 - "And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized."

The body of this post follows-up on the conclusion from yesterday's post.

.... Anyway, all loud ranting about education aside, going back to my English class, I concluded I couldn't really do much to change things as they are. Either way, even if I wasn't going to be sticking with my major, I needed to do something to get through the class and get a decent grade.

So, going home with my English reading one night, I pulled it out and stared at it. Ok, I thought to myself. I'm going to actively seek for reasons to enjoy this. Opening it up, I began to read.

I've been trying this technique for about a week now, and, sure enough, I've encountered something in every reading that piques my interest, even if it's gaining the ability to form an entirely outraged opinion regarding the absolute inanity of the author's ideals and execution (most of you know I like to rage about things, anyway).

What happened was, I changed my attitude. When I was looking for things I didn't like, when I was looking to make myself suffer, I succeeded. Now that I'm doing the opposite, my workload doesn't seem so hard. And I firmly believe that all it takes to complete such a chance in mindset is to want it.

So, my challenge for you today is to do just that! If there is something in your life causing you grief, then try to change your perspective. I'm not saying you'll become a cheerful, bubbly fan of whatever that 'something' is, but at least your life won't be made a misery as you're forced to endure it ... or, rather, have the opportunity to experience it.

Me and my fat stack of books.

See you tomorrow for the Snapshot Sunday, guys!

Agency: Whichever Door (with Added Commentary)

D&C 93:31 - "Behold, here is the agency of man ..."

Some of my residents are planning on moving out this next semester. Some of them are leaving on missions. Some of them just want a change of venue.

I'm definitely going to be sad to see them go, especially the monk of the group, but I totally admire them for the decisions they're making. Each are making choices that will affect them, for good or bad, for the rest of their lives, choices I have also made, choices I'm glad I did.

I think, in the world we now live in, it is getting more frightening to make choices. I don't know what kind of risks existed back in the old days, but now, we consider risk in everything, from buying a new cell phone to ordering the seafood surprise at Subway. The bigger the decision, it seems, the more trepidation we put into making them. From career to marriage to children to buying that big screen TV (from least to greatest importance, obviously), we wonder, What are the risks? Will I get to where I need to be by making this specific decision?

And so it goes, the beauty of the thing. I can't imagine a world where I wasn't able to choose my own brand of toothpaste, or the activities I pursue on the weekends, or even what I write about in these posts. The fact that we have our agency, our freedom to choose, is a glorious thing, a gift granted to us by God himself. Yes, these decisions we make are difficult at times, but they are why and how we grow. And that is enough.

I thought of all this yesterday as I stood in my hallway at some time past midnight, alone, pondering the day, already missing some of the friends I've made before they've even left. Each door was literally filled with possibilities, as our future leaders planned and worked and prayed.

Which door will you take?

I wrote a commentary about this post on October 15, 2015. Click here to read!

Enter: The Intern

"...By our righteous choices and actions, we liberate them from darkness by increasing their ability to walk in the light..." -Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

I think I have a habit of being too demanding or preachy. I recognized this following the private conversations I had with my brother yesterday, during which I'd encouraged him regarding his missionary labors and overall charisma. In retrospect, I could have done a better job helping bro feel like his potentially differing opinion still held weight, rather than simply telling him my opinion and, in essence, saying it was the only way. Presenting no choice is, ironically, Satan's way, not God's. Because God loves us enough to give us our agency, he allows us to choose even not to follow Him. Respecting others' choices, even when we disagree with them, will provide us a clearer pathway to God's rest.

I started my internship at PeaceHealth yesterday, and I really enjoyed the experience. I went in feeling pretty nervous, worrying that I would get as hazed as dad was sure I would be, but I was completely relieved when I was outright welcomed with a 4th of July smiley-face button and a bowl of blueberries. For the rest of the day, the team was very patient with me, even when I messed up a series of scans and had to redo them. Despite my expectation and my placard that I would be referred to as simply, 'The Intern,' I was even called by my rightful name. Sure, I was still hazed, sure, I was still called 'The Intern' once or twice, but I felt very at ease throughout the day, even when I ended up lost in the bowels of the building looking for a conference room I was convinced never existed. So far, it's looking like it's going to be a rather delightful experience, and I look forward to continuing to learn from my mentor's stead.