Amber - Refocusing

 Good week everyone.  I am most excited to implement my plans for this week.  I have a couple tweaks that I expect will make the difference.  I am going to lazar in on prayer.  I have not done well at all and it is the most important part of my plan.  So here are the goals and the changes below.

1. 8:30 I say my repentance prayer.

2. I make a plan and prepare for the next day.

3. As part of planning I am going to be setting some intentions for the next day.  Just a list of the things I really want to accomplish and how I want the day to turn out.  I will then pray for these things in my evening prayer.

4. Morning prayer will then include those intentions.  I will then state them as affirmations or intentions whichever one feels right.  I also want to include more gratitude throughout the day.  I know that sounds very specific and regimented.  However I tried it early this year for two weeks and it was an amazing two weeks.  Things pretty much happened as I had planned.  Also I found myself praying a lot more because I would see things happening and had to say thanks.  The only bad thing I noticed is that it took more effort and energy and I was more tired on those days.  I've had more energy lately and I'm hoping I'll get used to it.  Also as a side note an important step, at least for me, is to make sure my intentions are approved in prayer.  I've spent so much time planning things and trying to do them only to learn that it wasn't what I was supposed to do.  So I've learned I need to involve Heaven in the planning stage as well as the action stage.

5. I exercise first thing.  This one is actually going quite well and so I thought I'd keep it up here, at this rate it will soon become a habit.

I am also still going to try to get enough sleep but I'm not reporting on it.  The other stuff needs to become more regular before I add goals back in.

Monday:

* I read the first part of Mormon 8 again and one small thing I liked.  Here Moroni tells of his loneliness, how he has no family or friends and is hunted by his enemies.  He states that he needs to finish writing in the plates and then it doesn't matter where he goes.  The way he writes it sounds rather sad but it also made me think of the bigger picture in my own life.  I worry about a lot of little things but if I could it would be better to let a lot of them go and say that it matters not where I go or what I do so long as I've followed the commandments of God and any personal revelation that he has given me.

• I woke up at 8 today.  9 hours again, I'd really like to get things done earlier but I'm straying from the goals so I'll put that aside.  I really have an issue with time, I'd like more of it.  Oh yes this is not part of my goals, oops I already forgot.
• I set my intentions for the day.  I don't know if I should list them here or not.  I'll give you a few as an example.  Today I want to make Banana Bread, clean the bathrooms, do some extra cleaning in my room and the laundry room, and do laundry with grandma.  I also want things to get done in a timely manner (no wasting time when I'm doing something) and to accomplish my blog goals triumphantly.  Last I want to notice my blessings today and be grateful for them.
• I did some yoga for 20 mins or so.  It tired me out for a bit but not too bad.
• I said my prayer a couple minutes after 8:30 and prepped and planned for the next day.
• I'll confess today was one of the worst days in a long time.  It took me into the late afternoon to get my morning things done and everything was bugging me.  I could barely eat dinner with grandma and grandpa because the dog was whining the whole time.  I will say that it started out good.  My shower was done efficiently and it was really easy to get something out of my scripture study.  Then everything after took forever.  It's actually a little difficult to do things once grandma gets going, and she gets up sometimes by 6.  I didn't get any cleaning beyond dishes and laundry done and no banana bread.  By 7 when I was free I didn't have the energy to do more physical work so I spent the rest of the time doing work on my computer.  I did have some good things happen, I completed my goals here and was fantastically successful with a couple other things.  I also did some great energy healing and after that I felt much better.

Tuesday:

* Today my thought comes from Mormon 8.  Come follow me poses a question, it asks what does it mean to take upon you the name of Christ.  It is referring to verses 36-38.  In those verses Moroni speaks about the wicked and why they are ashamed to take upon themselves the name of Christ.  The answer to the question lies in part in verses 36-37.  The wicked love money, things, nice clothes, pretty houses.  To take upon yourself the name of Christ you must love God and his children before yourself.  The question is what is first in your life.  If you put anything before God then you are worshiping that thing.  This brings pride and fear of the world, rather than fear of God.  He wants us to enjoy the things of this life but we will not find true joy nor will we be able to fully take the name of Christ upon ourselves if we are putting the things of the world ahead of God.

• Here are my intentions for the day.  I want to make banana bread, go shopping, cook dinner, clean the bathrooms and do the extra cleaning of yesterday.  I want things done timely and I want to notice and be grateful for my blessings.
• I did a yoga practice of 18 mins.  I also did a little bit of a dance workout routine.
• Today was an amazing day!  I got everything on my list.  We went shopping and found some fun stuff.  We made 3 loaves of banana bread and cooked dinner.  I cleaned the bathrooms before we went shopping and I cleaned the extra stuff after dinner.  I was able to get a lot of other things done and it was all done very quickly.  I'll confess I did get tired out because I was going all day.
• I was 15 mins late but I did my prayer and prepped and planned for the evening.

Wednesday:

* Mormon 9 is Moroni speaking to those who don't believe in Christ.  He speaks of how many will say God doesn't do miracles anymore.  But because God is unchangeable then Moroni says that he is a God of miracles and the only reason there are no miracles is because the people stop believing.  So applying this to myself.  Am I seeing miracles and if not then why?  I will confess since writing in this blog I've seen miracles quite often.  So if you are not seeing miracles then are you asking for them and if so do you believe that they will happen?  Moroni makes it clear that miracles require faith.

• Today I want to finish my cleaning pick up list, finish drawing and printing my paperdoll dresses, vote, and work on one of my historical projects.  I also want things to go easily today and to enjoy it.  Yesterday's getting things done was happy but maybe not what I was looking for, it was too busy for me.
• I did a yoga practice for vertigo, only because it was the next one on the list but it wasn't really exercise at all so I don't suggest doing it if you want exercise.
• Alright today wasn't so great.  I woke up super tired and it stayed that way all day.  So I worked on my cleaning list but only got a portion done.  Nothing happened with the paperdolls or voting.  The only thing I did historically was watch youtube videos of someone else sewing.  I was so tired that everything kind of went out the window.  I took care of grandma and got dinner ready.
• Alas I made a mistake with the prayer and preparing.  I was going to go to bed early and when the alarm went off it was only 30 mins before I planned to leave so I thought I'd wait and do it right before bed.  I wanted to finish organizing something on my computer.  However it took me 30 mins longer than I thought and by that time I was so tired that I couldn't think to do anything.

Thursday:

* I am making a list of why the Book of Mormon is important as found in the scriptures suggested in Come follow me.

• contains the gospel of Christ
• testifies of the truths in the Bible
• know of the marvelous works of God
• if you believe it and follow it then it shall be well with you on judgment day
• know that ye are numbered among the people of the first covenant
• if you receive and not condemn then you shall know of greater things
• the record is of great worth to God
• contains promises from God that He shall fulfill
• examples therein show us what to do and what not to do
• make known the precious parts taken out of the Bible
• teaches that Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world
• teaches that all must come to Christ in order to be saved
• contains God's word
• confounds false doctrines
• establishes peace
• know of the covenants of God
• if from God for our instruction
• is quickened by the Spirit of God
• contains the fulness of the gospel

Earlier in the same section of come follow me it asks if you could have diamonds and rubies or the Book of Mormon which would you choose.  To me there is no contest.  If I could only have one or the other it is obvious from the list above what is more valuable.

• Today I plan on voting, working on my cleaning list, printing 8 of my paperdoll dresses, and do the last load of laundry.  I also want all things to flow smoothly today and to be successful.  And I can't forget today that I want to accomplish all of my blog goals.
•  No exercise today I'm afraid.
• Today was ok.  I did vote and work on my cleaning list.  But that was the end of the goals, I didn't even look at the paperdolls and I completely forgot about the load of laundry.
• As far as the evening went well I was so engrossed in studying how to do tablet weaving in order to make a medieval belt that it didn't even register that I should go do something when the alarm went off.  I turned it off because it was annoying but I was totally engrossed and I didn't realize I had things to do until I got into bed.  I'm not sure where I was today

Friday:

* I studied a little bit about thoughts.  In Mosiah it says you must watch your thoughts and in Matthew it says to look at a women to lust after her is committing adultery with her in your heart.  With energy healing I've been working on reprogramming thought pattern.  Clearing out the negative and inputting the positive.  In the past I've thought it a nice thing to do and would help you feel good.  But the scriptures say that it is more than that.  Your thoughts create your life, what you think you will act on if its allowed free reign, and eventually it is what you will become.  Thinking happy thoughts doesn't just make you happy (though really isn't that what you want anyways), it is creating pathways in your mind and laying a foundation for an improved and successful life.  It is a vital piece that creates what you want instead of what you don't want.  Being the master of your thoughts is to be the master of your life.  Including God in this process is to include the most powerful being and resource that exists.  He will direct you to what you need and how to do it.  Together all things are possible and he want all things for you.

• Today I want to go shopping, do that laundry, get those doll dresses printed, and make a pair of medieval hose for tomorrow.  I also want all the blog goals to be successful today.
• I didn't do any exercise today.  I've been kind of depressed.
• I did go shopping and spent way too much money.  Didn't do laundry or do any doll stuff.  I decided not to make hose because it was looking like I wouldn't finish it in time but then I discovered that I had never finished my veil which is more important that my hose so I sewed that instead.
• I did say my prayer soon after the alarm but I didn't plan or prepare for the next day.

Saturday:

*Today is Halloween.  My thought is rather short right now because grandma is washing the dishes and soon I have to make soups and get dressed.  Mormon 8 talks about how the wicked think more on their own riches, clothing, and other things and they forget the poor.  It made me examine my own life and see how much I'm thinking of my own things and how little I think of other people.  I will say I am grateful that we have the church and a designated place to give to help the poor.  I have decided I need to increase my fast offerings.  I'll work on other stuff later.

• I didn't make any plans for today beyond dressing up, making soup, and doing everyday stuff.  Although I'd really like to get those doll dresses printed.

I didn't finish this week and I can't remember what happened so I'm moving on to next week.