Amber - Christmas week 2

 I'll try this again.  I'm far too busy to change anything right now, I'm just going to do the same thing again.  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. Bed at 10:00.

Monday:

* My thought today is from Moroni 2:2.  I was just reading through and I came to "Ye shall call on the Father in my name, in mighty prayer".  Then it says you will have power to perform confirmation of the Holy Ghost.  I like that it isn't just a simple prayer but it is called mighty prayer.  This is the kind of prayer that can make things happen.  One requirement to have this kind of prayer is in Ether 4:15, it says to pray with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

• I didn't do anything today, it was a disappointment.

Tuesday:

*I'm starting out bad, I barely read anything and was occupied all day but got nothing done, not even a thought today.  I was a bit sick and missed my dentist appointment.  I also didn't do any goals or even decorate.  It was actually a horrible day.

Wednesday:

* Today I read some of Moroni 7 and it is one of my most favorite chapters.  The first part tells you how to know if something is from God or not.  The instruction is that if it constantly invites you to do good then it is from God and if it doesn't then it's from the devil.  It also says that you will know by the spirit of Christ.  I find that this works best if I'm consistently rejecting the bad things.  Otherwise I become desensitized to the bad and thus unprotected in this way.  It is a skill and you have to keep it up or you lose it and become vulnerable.  Satan doesn't need to read your thoughts to see the path you are headed to.  Knowing what is good and bad is not just a nice skill it is essential to make it safely through this life.

• This last week or so I've not been doing the regular stuff, I've read but not said very good prayers, I've not done any energy work and I've not done any of my goals.  Let me tell you I've noticed a huge difference!  Christmas has got in the way as usual but my productivity has plummeted to getting barely ready, shopping, dinner, and helping Grandma (and only the bare minimum there).  That is almost literally all that I've done in the day and I don't understand how that is possible.  There is the same amount of time in a day yet I can only get basic essentials completed.  I get 7-9 hours of sleep per day usually going to bed at 11 and I never cook breakfast anymore.  I'm not too tired to do things and I don't have extra stuff to do for the essentials.  Yet I can't get any cleaning except dishes done and the house is starting to show that this week.  I figured it is time to stop trying to do Christmas (which honestly is not getting done the last few days either) and do my other stuff because I am guessing that is what is missing and I'll magically have more time if I do it the usual way.  So here I am back to my usual schedule of trying to improve my life.
• I have already set intentions this morning so off to a good start.
• I completely forgot about visualizing
• No exercise though I did move a bunch of boxes with Britney and that wore us both out so it could almost count.
• I went to bed late though it would have been later but my game crashed (not unusual) and I decided it was a good thing so I went to bed at a little after 10.  I totally forgot to pray earlier so I didn't really have the greatest prayer.  Also I didn't plan for the day.
• I did not get to any decorating but I did finally fix the broken chair, it's drying so I don't know if it works yet but we will see.

Thursday:

*  I read the rest of that chapter in Moroni.  It is so good!  My favorite part this time was about faith.  Moroni says that faith allows you to lay hold upon every good thing.  So after you've recognized the good through the spirit then your faith in Christ gives you what you need to choose those things.  In fact Moroni makes it sound as if it is automatic in verse 28.  "they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing".  I also like that by faith we can do miracles.  God knows all the science of how things work and he uses those methods to get things done.  To us they look like miracles and so we need faith in Christ in order to trust that such a thing can be possible.  Faith isn't a blind thing because it is faith in Christ.  You know what he is capable of and what type of being he is because of the scriptures.  To me that coupled with the spirit and the experiences I've had I know I can trust he will do what he says he can do.  I don't understand how it was done so I have to have faith in that part of it but it never surprises me that he can do it.

• Unfortunately I completed none of my goal except for some visualizing.
• I attempt to finish the tree topper but it looks far too whimsical so I don't like it right now.

Friday:

* I read but not very well so no thought.

• Again no good on any of the goals, not even visualizing.

Saturday:

*  My thought is from Moroni 9.  I liked a verse towards the beginning number 6.  It talks about our need to labor without ceasing or be brought under condemnation.  That sounds exhausting to me but I've also seen what happens when you don't.  Whatever goal I'm working on if I skip a part of the goal then I lose a ton of progress, even if I only skipped once.  It makes a significant impact to be consistent.  I mean look at my goals right now, this week has been awful and I feel like I've lost a lot of progress.  I kind of have to start over and it will take a bit to get me back into the groove.  Fortunately we can repent so while I will still have to live with the earthly consequence of extra work to get to where I was, my slate can be wiped clean spiritually speaking through the atonement of Christ.  I've also noticed this when resisting temptation.  If you give in just a little it can destroy years of resistance within a very short period.  You'll have the same situation, yes you can repent and be clean and yes you will have earthly consequences that you'll have to deal with.

• My goals have failed today too.

Sunday:

* Alas I didn't read today, today is day one for cramps and I was lazy.

• I did actually do one thing, I prepared for tomorrow.

Another failed week.  This sounds depressing.  I've also hardly done any energy work and that has really affected me too.  Though I still feel great in comparison to how I used to a few months ago.  On to next week.