Making an Effort :)

This week (Like Julia) was Spring Break! It was amazing.

I had this amazing plan to get so much school done....buuuuut.....that didn't happen like I thought it would, because you know what? Sometimes you just need a break.

I actually did get a lot done, even though I was still partying. :D

I really tried to make an effort to spend time with family and friends. It was amazing. I went shopping with my Aunts and stopped by the temple, and airport. That. That was really amazing.

I went to one of my best friends house and hung out. We wrote notes to some of our friends, and it was so great!

Okay, so there were other things, but mostly I just tried to reach out to my friends and family and spend more time with them.

It felt SO good. These relationships are so important to me, but I don't think I always do my best to make them really strong, sadly.

Life is SO good guys. And it's even better when you spend time, and make and effort to reach out to those who are close to you or maybe just friends.

Relationships are so important and I think that it's really important to strengthen them and let these people in our lives know how grateful we are for them.

This week was defiantly meaningful. Who cares if I have school, I am going to MAKE and effort to do these things and not just leave them for special occasions.

Thanks for reading my ramblings, but I love life and I'm so grateful for everyone in my life! I love you all!

Embrace life, Be happy, Smile, Be you! :)

<3 Wesleigh

Smelling Like Compost and Feeling Alive

Hello, dear ones.

This week was my spring break, and wow, it was something. Can I tell you about it?

Last weekend my uncle Danny brought his two little boys to my house to visit (they live three hours away and we don't get to see them very much). Their stay was wonderful--I love being with my family.

On Friday morning, Mom and I casually sat in the bathroom while she put her makeup on, and we talked about Summertime by the way, this is much cheaper than therapy but equally effective. We discussed potential adventure opportunities for 2013 and how they would work, and it made me so hopeful. But despite my hope, I let out a sigh and said, "I have zero dollars and no job. What can I do to make it happen?"

"Pack your bags, drive back home with Danny tomorrow and work for Grandpa this week. That's a start."

And that, my friends, is how I ended up spending my spring break shoveling mushroom/manure compost. And I wouldn't change a thing about it.

It was LIBERATING. I had time to be alone with my work and ponder my life, and there was also time for my cousin Lilly to sit with me and we would laugh together. Laughter really is the best medicine, people. It reminds us that we're human and that life does have its perfect little moments. Every job I did required muscle work and focus, making the days somewhat meditative and very rewarding. I was in the outdoors, breathing the fresh air (er, as fresh as it could be with the lingering smell of compost, but I got used to it), and at night, I could look up and see the infinite; the stars were not afraid to shine there.

Turns out, working for adventure ended up being, well, a little adventure. Because fortunately and unfortunately most of the work I do looks like this:

But this week was different and I'm so grateful for it.

Now I'm home, sunburned, sore, exhausted, and a little sick. But you know what? It's the best feeling ever. Because I helped my family, I helped myself, and I feel alive and rewarded for it. I hope we can take the time to get more hands-on in our lives; it really is, well, awesome. In the truest meaning of the word.

Love,
Julia

Switching Places

My meaningful moment this week was quite an eye-opener. One afternoon my younger sister and I randomly decided to “switch places“--we called each other our own name and tried to act as the other would. It was a fun little experiment, really. We weren‘t doing this to tease each other or poke fun. Being someone other than yourself for a while can actually be pretty fun, but also quite the challenge.

And that‘s exactly what made it meaningful--I had to put myself in my sister‘s shoes (quite literally) and consider how and why she does what she does. It struck me how much influence an older sibling can have. Once or twice that afternoon I tried to tell her something, but she brushed me off in the sake of being too busy. Oh my pickles. I did not realize how often I do that. How many opportunities for stronger relationships am I missing? Since that simple little game of ours, I‘ve paid more attention to how what I do can affect others. Putting myself in another‘s shoes can be a real paradigm-shifter.

Dreaming Big

Dreams. 

I'm not talking about the random shows your brain puts on for you during the night. I'm talking about that little voice inside of you that urges you to become the best person you can be. That sense of purpose that gives each day a sense of adventure. That personal calling in life which compels people to do great things. 

A lot of my friends have been talking about dreams and sharing what they want in life this week. It really is a profound thought to realize that we all have something that we were born to do. 

One of my friends challenged me to think about what our biggest dream is and write it out in detail. This really caught me off guard. Suddenly I realized that I don't spend the much time finding out who I want to. My meaningful moment on the path to awesome this week has been allowing myself to think about all the things I'll do one day. As I've devoted time to this challenge and thought about what I want in life more than anything I've learned so much more about my potential and the potential that lies in every human being. 

It's my personal belief that anybody who has made a lasting difference in this world has followed their own dream. They knew what they wanted and worked to get it. I am firmly convinced that anybody can decide to make a difference today and act on it. 

So what is my dream? I don't know all of it yet, but I'm learning. In a nutshell, I want to help spread truth across the world. I want to help people everywhere see that each of us has an enormous potential and the ability to reach for it. 

Now I ask you: What is your dream? Consider taking some time today to ponder that question and revisit what means most to you. And while you do that, here's a short video which illustrates another reason to live our dreams. Enjoy!

One Step at a Time.

When I think of all the things I need to do.....it goes something like this.....

School, Family, Fitness, Hobbies, Play, Work.....*overwhelmed*

*facepalm*

*hide in a hole and disappear*   

 

I think my problem is that I'm trying to take one leaping jump and get it all done at once, and not have to worry about it. I just want to get everything done and be able to live, okay? But honestly, I can't get ALL I need and want to get done at once. I'm no superhero. I need to take it one step at a time. 

I have to take life one step at a time. Rather than trying to take it all in one leaping jump. I need to take time to smell the roses along the path, take time to embrace and love life for what it is and stop rushing through life because, YOLO. 

 So I've made plans, set goal, done some thinking and I am now taking life one step at a time. :) 

I invite everyone to do this with me. :) Embrace life and take it one step at a time. Smile. Be happy. Be you! Have a great week everyone!! :)  

<3 Wesleigh 

A Life of Performance

Here are some more amazing stories of people living a meaningful life. Enjoy! 

Nathan Owens said, 

Two weeks ago I finished a run of a play, Much Ado About Nothing.  It was amazing and fantastic and I enjoyed myself a lot! 

Acting is what I love to do, it's part of me and I've done it since before I can remember. This year is my last year in high school, after this I will move on, go to college, go on a proselyting mission for my church, and whatnot. 

Anyhow, this will be my last year to be in a play for at least three years.  This year there is a large musical being put on and I was DYING to try out. The problem was that I had just been in a play (Much ado) and had been in one last semester and I was (And still am) very very behind in school..

  So I had to make a decision, I had to give up something so that I could catch up in school. So rather than give up acting, which I loved, I decided that I would have to give up the funness of the internet.  So as of right now I have decided a few things: I'm only aloud to use YouTube during classes or via class Modules, I'm not aloud on Facebook except for on Sundays. I can't listen to podcasts on my computer (Though, If I'm exercising and it;s on a mp3 player it's fine) and I can't play any games on my computer.  All of these are in hopes that I'd be able to catch up WHILE being in a play. 

It was interesting because I had to actually go through and decide, what is most important to me. I had to look at what my dream in life is. As Dallin Ward said over in the Williamsburg community,          

"Everyone needs a dream. That is how all great things have been done." (If you have time go read his entire thing, it's good, and then go to Wesleigh Smith's post and read all of those responses, they're beautiful.)  So I looked at my life and decided where I wanted to go.  I found that that path didn't involve wasting days on end on the internet, however fun that may seem to me at the time. MY path to awesome involved me being committed to getting work done and to being free of the distracting influence of the internet. 

This is now the second week I've been doing this and it's fantastic how much has changed.  I've been able to focus on school work and I have started to catch up, it's been great. 

It hasn't been easy.  For instance, there are some days when I don't get very much done because I am simply spending the time fighting the part of me that wants to just quit and go to YouTube and waste away the afternoon. I'm used to being able to just distract myself and I'm used to just having fun.  I believe that the carefree, "Do nothing" mindset is just as much of an addiction as anything else is, and I obviously must have got myself hooked to it. It's just weird, some days I will literally have to argue part of myself that wants to go play, I have to literally convince it that what I'm working on is more important. It's basically my Red/Yellow personality if you're at all familiar with the color code.  I used to be really red, I was focused and I was very leadership oriented and stuff, but then over the years on the internet my yellow personality has taken over and I'm can be very uncommitted and lazy and just like having fun. So basically I'm trying to exercise that redness that I know I have. I'm trying to get back the determination and drive that I used to have.  It's crazy, but it's awesome that I am finally able to sit down and work and get things done. 

So, look at your priorities see what you WANT and then organize you time well.  You will never have more time than you have now, something will always be taking up your time, whether it be school work, other school, children, you will never have more time, you will just have to prioritize. 

So find that path and follow it to the end. The path is straight and narrow, the path is hard and filled with brambles, but in the end, it will be worth it. 

Abigail Allen said, 
My little sister Rebekah was born 8 days ago, and I was really excited! Sadly, I got way behind on schoolwork because I was always volunteering to feed her or change her diaper, and it was taking all my time. Then, I realized that if I didn't daydream a lot(I LOVE daydreaming), I would be able to do it all! Now, even though I miss daydreaming, I am ahead in my schoolwork and really pleased with my progress. I can take care of my sister AND stay caught up in school!

You guys should realize that in order to take care of all your responsibilities, we need to take away the distracting 'berries' on our PATH 2 AWESOMENESS. WE CAN ALL BE AWESOME!

Remember to send you story to us at path2awesome@googlegroups.com and we post them every Friday. Just keep in mind that your story can be anything meaninful, small or big. :)

Guest Post: Catherine

Ever since I can remember, I've been making up stories. I used to use them for playing pretend. I would act out stories with myself, my toys, my friends. These stories were sometimes so real it would take a lot to snap myself out of them.

I got a little older I began writing them down, and thus began a lifelong love affair with stories. I began to soak up as much information about them as I possibly could, and made some interesting discoveries.

Every story needs a hero. A hero must have certain qualities, like...
He answers the call. A hero agrees to or simply decides for himself that he will live up to his potential. This is the first qualification for being a hero: you must accept responsibility for bringing about your mission.

He leaves the comfort zone. Adventure doesn't happen in the comfort zone; if it did, it wouldn't be an adventure. In order to have an adventure and, therefore, become a hero, he needs to step outside his area of familiarity.

He experiences hardship. How boring would it be if the hero had no hardship to overcome?! That would be like a description of heaven: beautiful, but not really a good story. "[G]reat stories are told in conflict..." (Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years). A story is not a story without a conflict.

He overcomes setbacks and hardships. This is where most people with potential to become a hero fail: they fall prey to one of the setbacks that besets him. A real hero sticks it out through all of this. Why? Well...

He sacrifices himself for a greater cause. A hero is not in it for himself; he is in it for something bigger than himself. This is why he answers the call; this is why he leaves his comfort zone; this is why he endures hardship and setbacks. His cause is what keeps him going. As long as he remains dedicated to that cause, whatever it is, he cannot fail in his story.

He must change and develop. If the hero does not change, the story has been entertaining, but essentially a waste.

Every life is a story, and God is the Master Storyteller. We are co-authors. In order to live a good story, we individually must answer the call, leave the comfort zone, experience hardship, overcome setbacks, and sacrifice for something bigger than ourselves. This is the only way we can undergo necessary development.

One final thing I learned was this: every scene must have a purpose. This isn't like real life,  I was told;  you can't make your characters get up to answer the phone only to find out it's a sales person and hang up; you can't make your characters get up to mundanely feed the cat, or mention that the characters brushed their teeth. Every scene, every word, must contribute to the plot or character development.


Ladies and gentlemen, I submit that even in real life, every scene, every word, every experience we have, contributes to the ultimate plot or character development. The good things and the bad things. Even the things that seem pointless. Even the things that are excruciatingly hard to bear. And in order to stick it out through the bad, pointless, hard things, we need a purpose. And we need to allow ourselves to be changed.

Become the hero in your own story. Agree to live up to your potential; be willing to leave your comfort zone; overcome setbacks and hardships; and dedicate yourself to a cause bigger than you. Know that no experience you have is pointless; and allow yourself and your story to be shaped and made beautiful under the pen of the loving Master Storyteller. 


***

Bio blurb:
Catherine is fairly certain that she was born with a pen in her hand (although her mom denies it). Writing is one of her favorite things to do, and she does it as much as possible. (To read more of her writing, you can visit her blog here!) She also enjoys studying, being quirky, and being in the company of her friends, among other things. She currently resides in a lovely corner of Pennsylvania with her amazing parents and awesome little brothers. Finally, she is super honored to have had this chance to write to the people on the Path2Awesome, and hopes that what she said made a difference. (:

Note to our readers: each week we invite people who are taking the path to awesome to write a little on what that means to them. This is our first guest post, so look forward to more inspiration! If you're interested in being a guest poster, please e-mail us at path2awesome@googlegroups.com and we'll reply as soon as we can.