We started off with this fun Mormon Message: (Click here to view in a new window)
Ann Elmer taught us the importance of setting goals that help us Increase our Knowledge:
- She found a great article in the April 2009 issue of the Ensign. Click here to read the entire article: "Learning and Latter-day Saints" by Dallin H. Oaks
- She quoted Sister Oaks who said, "I loved to learn, and I knew how to work; in fact, I loved to work. I had many summer jobs, and I did well in school. When I awoke to the fact that I needed to support myself fully, I was afraid, almost paralyzed, by the unforeseen challenges that seemed to loom ahead for me. I had no real job skills. My studies in liberal arts had fed my soul, but now I needed to feed my pocketbook. I attended graduate school to learn skills to support myself. I loved every minute of learning and encountered not only new ideas but discovered my own capabilities. Where I had felt shy and somewhat vulnerable, I now felt capable and competent to face life on my own.”
- We can get closer to our goals by faith. We should trust that God knows us better than we know ourselves. We have to believe in ourselves. As we seek out education and work towards our goals, we will gain confidence. Panic and worry can be replaced with the Savior's love.
Jill Smith taught us the importance of setting goals to Increase Personal Well-being and Health:
- "You Can Do Hard Things"
- "Pain is nothing compared to what it feels like to quit."
- "Do something today that your future self will thank you for."
- She quoted Elder Richard G. Scott who said, "Spiritual communication can be enhanced by good health practices. Exercise, reasonable amounts of sleep, and good eating habits increase our capacity to receive and understand revelation. We will all live for our appointed life span. However, we can improve both the quality of our service and our well being by making careful, appropriate choices."
Christine McKnight taught us the importance of setting goals that Build Spiritual Strength using SMART as a guideline:
- S - Specific; set specific goals for spiritual strength such as prayer, scripture study, fasting, bearing testimony, or temple attendance.
- M - Measurable; find a way to make your goal measurable. When you can see your progress you'll be motivated to keep going.
- A - Achievable; set goals that you know you can reach.
- R - Realistic; be realistic about your abilities, and time commitment
- T - Timely; set a deadline to accomplish the goal.
- She shared a personal experience of memorizing The Living Christ and how she was able to accomplish this goal.
Each of these sisters shared a personal testimony of the principles they taught and it was a spirit filled night.
These words in Mathew 19:26 are a good reminder when setting goals for the new year: "With God all things are possible."
Here is a link if you'd like more help with setting worthy personal goals: Pursuit of Excellence on lds.org .