Amber - Now is the time

Today I am going to do the same thing with some tweaks. I'm going to be really serious here, I've got to get these things to stick and become habits. So here are the goals below.

1. Set these goals as my intentions for the day and make this part of my morning routine. (in the past this has been an extra thing on top of my routine)

2. Visualize the thing I'm working towards, this is becoming part of my energy work for the day.

3. I exercise at some point in the day, preferably early morning (depends on bedtime).

4. 8:30 I say my repentance prayer.

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

6. I'm putting this one back in because it is so influential. I need to go to bed at 10:00.

Monday:

* I've always liked Ether 12, there is so much crammed into one chapter that you could find days worth of thoughts.  I'll just share the first one that came to me.  The chapter is mostly about faith and in verse 4 it gives a nice path.  As part of that it says the hope that comes of faith makes one sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works.  Often we spend a great deal of time trying to do one thing or another that we ought to be doing.  We focus so much on good works that sometimes we miss the driving force behind it all.  If we focus on having faith in Christ then those good works will come.  You can't skip faith, it is the force behind the action and you won't last without it.  With it you can do all things and without it you are limited to your own mortal strength and abilities.  To do God's work and follow his path you must have faith in Christ.

• I set intentions for the day.
• I visualized what I was working towards and it was exciting!
• I'll confess I didn't exercise today, I took too long to get ready and didn't have time until evening at which point I wasn't up to it.
• I said my prayer.
• I planned and prepped for tomorrow
• I did go to bed at 10 however I was with my phone so I'm not sure if that is a success because it was 11 before I put the phone away.
• I'd say my intentions worked out pretty well, not perfect but I got mostly good results today.

Tuesday:

* Here is a list of faith mentioned in chapter 12.

• v.3 - by faith all things are fulfilled
• v.4 - hope comes by faith which makes an anchor for the souls of men
• v.6 - faith is something you hope for not something that you see/know
• v.6 - you only receive knowledge after a trial of your faith
• v.7 - Christ only showed himself to people after they had faith in him
• v.9 - you can have hope and partake of the gift if you have faith
• v.10 - by faith people are called after the holy order of God
• v.11 - the law of Moses was given by faith
• v.12 - without faith God can do no miracle among men
• v.13 - by faith Alma and Amulek caused the prison to fall
• v.14 - by faith Nephi and Lehi wrought a change in the Lamanites
• v.15 - by faith Ammon wrought a great miracle among the Lamanites
• v.16 - all miracles were wrought by faith
• v.17 - by faith the three disciples were promised to never die
• v.18 - that faith is believing in the Son of God
• v.19 - some had faith so strong they could not be kept from within the veil
• v.20-21 - the brother of Jared saw God because of his faith, the Lord could not withhold anything from his sight
• v.22 - by faith the Nephites have been promised that their words shall come to all
• v.23 - the Nephites are mighty in word because of faith
• v.27 - if humble and have faith you shall have weak things made strong
• v.28 - faith leads to God
• v.29 - the Lord works according to our faith
• v.30 - by faith the brother of Jared moved a mountain

• I set my intentions
• I visualized my goals as realities
• For exercise I went for a little walk with Grandma.  She doesn't like to go when it is cold and she can't go too far before she is tired.  We really should go more often.
• I said my prayer and instantly reacted to my alarm to do so.
• I planned and prepared for tomorrow.
• Alas I failed here, I was in bed well after midnight, maybe even after one but I can't remember for sure.  I stayed up to watch a movie on TV and it took longer than I remembered.  On the plus side I got a bunch done on the Christmas List and on my computer.

Wednesday:

* Now here is a list of hope in Ether 12.

• v.4 - Believe in God and you can hope for a better world
• v.4 - This hope comes from faith and leads to good and to God
• v.6 - faith means to hope for things not to see them
• v.9 - you can have hope and partake of the gift if you have faith
• v.28 - hope leads to God
• v.32 - man may have a more excellent hope in what God has prepared for him
• v.32 - without hope you cannot receive an inheritance with God

• I set my intentions today
• I visualized 
• I didn't really exercise, I chased the dog around for a little bit but it wasn't exactly a planned exercise.
• Alas!  I did not say my prayer until I went to bed and it wasn't so great because of that.  I also only did a partial plan and prep for tomorrow.
• I was in bed on time but I was also on the phone, this time actually talking to someone so it wasn't so bad but I really need more sleep than that.

Thursday:

* Today I don't have a usual thought.  I was reading Ether 13 where Moroni tells of Ether's prophesies of the New Jerusalem.  I wondered what it would be like which led me to wonder what it will be like in the next life.  If earth is to be the new heaven does that mean heaven has a limited amount of space?  If so is there a capacity and then do we have another heaven if we want to go where there is more space?  Then if we will have a mansion in heaven how big will these mansions be?  Why would we need much of a space at all?  Are we going to need stuff in any way?  Won't our focus be on people?  If I had a mansion I would want a bunch of different rooms to have people over.  Rooms to visit, rooms to play, rooms to be alone, I don't know what else we will have.  We probably don't need to eat or sleep but will I want my own room to escape to or will that not be an issue in heaven?  Questions I don't need answers to but interesting to think about for a minute or two.

• I did set intentions but I didn't visualize.  It's a holiday I rarely get goals done on holidays.
• No exercise
• I said a late prayer again and it was only half there
• I planned for tomorrow, I'm going to be in Cedar tomorrow so I had to plan a little.
• I was in bed about 11 or a little after, I stayed up to finish that Christmas list.  It is mostly done.

Friday:

* I read Ether 14 and it was a pretty sad tale.  As I was reading the first part I came across a thought.  The land had become cursed and the Jaredites couldn't keep anything they put down because it would disappear.  So they kept their swords in their hands constantly for protection.  I imagined what that would be like, eating sleeping bathing and everything else.  I thought how miserable that would be and how scared they had to have been.  Then I wondered what worldly things do I cling to out of fear?  The Jaredites were alone in their defense, they only had their weapons to protect them.  It is much better to rely on the Lord than a sword or than any other thing we might be trusting.

• I set intentions
• I visualized
• No exercise
• No prayer and no prep
• I slept at dad's because of Thanksgiving and we were up talking and watching tv until after 11.

Saturday:

*  Today I studied a conference message from President Nelson.  It was really short but at the end of the talk he quoted Helaman 3:29 which says that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the wiles of the devil, and lead the disciple of Christ in a strait and narrow course.  I feel I am doing this every day through my scripture study and it is making a real difference in my life.  I have the spirit more and I recognize more the influence of the devil and am able to avoid it better.  I also like the next part where President Nelson says to lay hold upon the word of God during general conference.  The things taught in conference are also from God and they will do the same as the scriptures do.  It is exciting to have a never ending supply of the word of God to help us in our day to day living.

• I set intentions and they worked out.
• I partially visualized but not much.
• No exercise
• No prayer and no prep
• I slept at Dad's again because it was too late to go back to Delta.  We played a game and watched a movie and didn't get to bed until after midnight.

Sunday:

* I totally forgot to read.  I was up so late that we missed church and then didn't leave until after lunch.  Then traffic was so bad with wrecks and such that I got home just before an appointment.  Then I spent the evening unpacking thus nothing got done.  No thought and no goals.

I did good on the first of the week so I'm going to keep going next week.