Response to Tamara Gray 9/19/12

      Tamara talked about how leading your life is like conducting an orchestra and producing a beautiful song. Are there any parts of your life that should play louder in the current song you are conducting? Are there any parts that you should remove from the orchestra to make your song more beautiful or perfect?

I have been struggling with time management, so I definitely needed to hear this lecture. It’s been hard to realize that college life is different than high school in that things that were important before aren’t necessarily important now. Setting priorities seemed to be so much easier at home, and it has been a difficult challenge to balance everything here and try not to drown out certain parts of my song. It may not be the typical freshman fault, but I have been letting school and homework overtake my life. There are so many wonderful things BYU has to offer, including service, clubs, extra-curricular activities, freshman gatherings, and the beautiful campus itself that I feel I am short-changing myself and not enjoying the whole BYU experience. The social and spiritual aspects of BYU are being significantly dampened by my need to be a perfectionist with my schoolwork. Obviously, my purpose for being at BYU is to gain an education, so studying shouldn’t be removed from my life, but the song of my life can be more beautiful when I balance academic, spiritual, social, and physical goals a little more evenly.  

There are many things that we need to accomplish in this life. Tamara talked about how the best way to enjoy life and still get everything done is through "peacefully hurrying". Why did she suggest we "peacefully hurry"? What are some actions that will help you to "peacefully hurry" in your life?

I loved this concept of “peacefully hurrying” because I believe that is where my greatest happiness and potential can be reached. It reminded me of Stephen Covey’s idea to spend the majority of time in “quadrant two” where things are important but not urgent. I am happy when I know I am working on something important, but if it is down to the last minute, I am too stressed to enjoy it. Sometimes it is difficult for me to have the motivation to hurry when things aren’t urgent or there isn’t a deadline, but I know from experience that peace and happiness come when I “peacefully hurry”. I believe her definition of hurrying peacefully was that there isn’t time to waste, but it also isn’t desirable to be so structured and so rushed that life isn’t enjoyable. God wants us to use our time well, but be at peace in our heart so we are quiet enough inside to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. This also ties in with divine-centered leadership because we should never be hurrying so fast that we don’t have time to stop and help people around us that are in need. Structuring my time, having a specific plan, and being aware of all deadlines will help me to peacefully hurry. That way I know what needs to get done each day and I can enjoy learning rather than rushing through assignments at the last minute.

Time management can be difficult at times, especially during school. Make three goals about time management that you would like to apply to the rest of your semester. Make sure these time management goals reflect your values. How will you hold yourself accountable to these three goals?

I have been thinking a lot about my time management goals, and I really believe they will help my life be more balanced. The first goal I have is to multi-task as much as possible. For example, I can call home while I am eating lunch, get exercise as I walk to the temple, and do homework while I wait for my laundry. If I strive to do this, I can make the most use of my time. My second goal is to block out my weekly schedule and commit to specific study times. That way my first priority will always be a regimented part of my schedule and it won’t be up for compromise. I have eight am classes Monday through Thursday, but it is difficult to get up early on Fridays and Saturdays when I don’t have a scheduled appointment. My third goal is to get up earlier on the weekend mornings so I can make full use of my day. During the weekdays, I want to get up at 6:45 so I can read my scriptures before I leave my dorm for the day. An assignment for one of my classes is to track what we do with our time every thirty minutes, and this is a great way to be accountable for what I do with my time. Also, I plan on taking a weekly inventory of my goals to see if I accomplished them or not as an added measure of accountability.  

Response to Brother Bond 9/12/12

     Write down the vision you have for yourself as a leader. Then write down the goals that will help you achieve your vision. Your vision should only be a sentence or two, but should give a clear image of what type of leader you aspire to be someday. Your goals should be as detailed as they can be. They should stretch you, but also be attainable.

The vision I have for myself as a leader is to lead those around me with love and enthusiasm and draw people closer to the Savior. The missionaries are perfect examples of this type of leadership and I have no greater goal than to be a missionary myself. They wear the name of Jesus Christ and outwardly declare to the world they are representing Him. I want to be a leader who is strong in my decisions while being careful not to be overpowering. An important part of leadership is giving those I lead a chance to be leaders themselves. This includes being more aware of the needs of my followers than certain personal goals I may have. A successful leader is a Christ-like leader who strives to attain the attributes of Christ to more fully serve others. Preach My Gospel has an entire chapter on the attributes of Christ, and gives several suggestions on how to develop a specific attribute. It is my goal to steadily work on characteristics and attributes of Christ to help me become more like the Savior.

                                   

Brother Bond shared his experience about John Plaso. As Brother Bond explained, John helped all those around him achieve their goals. As a leader, how do you plan to help those around you achieve their goals?

The first step in helping people achieve their goals is to find out what those goals are. I learned in mission prep that one of the secrets to missionary work is to BRT, or build relationships of trust with people and I think the same principle applies to leadership. People won’t feel comfortable sharing their goals unless they have trust in me as a leader, and the only way to build that trust is to spend time with people and serve them. Another step is something that Brother Bond mentioned in his lecture. John Plaso was a well-liked boss because he knew who he was and could then share with others who they really were. I have to have a testimony of who I am as a daughter of God before I can testify to others that they are indeed children of God. Praying to feel the Savior’s love for those I work with can help me see the potential Heavenly Father has for them as I encourage them to set and achieve goals.

In your opinion, what value does defining vision and goals have? 

Without having concrete goals it is too easy to let life control you instead of taking a more proactive approach. I believe that the potential we have as sons and daughters of God is immeasurable and oftentimes we aren’t aware of what we can really accomplish. It takes time to ponder and have a vision of a desirable future, but I think that vision has to come before meaningful goals can be set. It was interesting to see Brother Bond’s goal list and realize that he had accomplished everything on that list. When our goals are taken to the Lord in prayer and He confirms that they are right, then He will help us reach those goals. I have found in my own life that goals inspire and motivate me to do things I never would have accomplished without having that end result in mind. Goals can shape daily actions, decisions, and our very lives if those goals are meaningful and worthwhile.

Response to Dean Cox 9/5/12

What is one principle of Dean Cox’s lecture that you plan to incorporate in your life? How do you plan to do this and why did you choose this principle?

Dean Cox told the story of when his son met President Monson in between sessions at General Conference, and even with everything the prophet had going on, he made time to see Brother Cox’s son. President Monson took the time to “focus on individuals and give adequate attention to serve” even though his time was so precious. This made an impression on me because it is so easy to get incredibly busy, especially in college, but I know I will be blessed if I follow the example of the prophet and take time to serve. This part of Brother Cox’s lecture inspired me to take time for people when they need me, to stop for ten seconds and hold the door for someone, to stay up ten minutes later to listen to my roommate, to slow down enough to see outside my hectic world. The happiness that comes from even small acts of service and looking outside myself will be well worth whatever homework, sleep, or other sacrifice I may make. I chose this principle because I have been completely overwhelmed with classes, living away from home, and balancing my life. I didn’t take the time to serve because I have been so wrapped up in my own problems. But as I’ve looked for opportunities to reach out, I have been blessed with greater peace of mind and happiness!

Based on what you learned from Brother Cox’s lecture, what is your definition of servant leadership?

I had the example of the Savior as the ultimate example of a servant leader before Brother Cox’s lecture, but the things he said solidified that knowledge and gave me even more examples of a servant leader. My definition of servant leadership would be a leader who leads not to gain honor, respect, or leadership opportunities, but one who serves simply because he or she loves the people and wants to make a difference in individual lives. A true servant leader works just as hard away from the public eye as he does in the spotlight. I think servant leadership is more of an attitude and a motive that comes from within rather than actions that can be measured. Emulating Christ’s example of pure love and a deep desire to serve are the ultimate characteristics of a servant leader. The discussion about Dr. Jonas Salk comes to mind. He found the vaccine for polio and when given the opportunity to paten the vaccine and become wealthy, he declined and said, “The paten belongs to the people.” He genuinely wanted to improve lives and the fame and money didn’t matter to him at all.  

Brother Cox talked about many servant leader heroes from his life. Who is a servant leader hero in your life? Why?

I have been greatly blessed to see many great examples of servant leadership in my life, and it was difficult to pick only one to write about. I chose to write about Tiffany Mohler, the Young Women’s President in my home ward. Sister Mohler is the picture-perfect Young Woman leader: she happily got married young, has four cute kids, appreciates crafty stuff, and has the best activity ideas. More than this, however, are her truly important characteristics. She has a strong testimony of the Atonement, the Book of Mormon, and the gospel in general and she can share her testimony simply and powerfully. Never does she push her ideas on anyone; she quietly gives inspired suggestions and lets the recipient choose to take her advice or not. I know from personal experience that she does countless acts of meaningful service that no one ever hears about.  Sister Mohler does not pray for, serve, or love her Young Women because she is supposed to or because she has to report to the bishop. She serves because she loves her girls and wants to better their lives by sharing her testimony of the Savior. Simply doing her calling isn’t her objective, her goal is to spread the joy and light of the gospel through her service. I know that I have been blessed to be one of her Young Women and observe her example of being a servant leader!