June 26, 2018 –
Have you ever been able to reevaluate a situation and thought back, “Wow… I could have done that a lot differently.” Orrrrr “WHY did that person handle that problem that way! THERE ARE SUCH BETTER WAYS TO GO ABOUT THAT!”
I’m not saying that I think the following tips will change the world over night, but I definitely think if more people used these 3 tips in their lives we would be taking a step in the right direction.
- Work Ethic- We all know those coworkers that don’t work. ITS FREAKING FRUSTRATING! Personally, I think thats one of the biggest thing that can grow contention in a work place. One of the most insightful things Austin has ever said to me was, “Always be the hardest worker in the room”. I’ve really tried to implement that in my work life. I can tell you straight up that it works because I don’t have nearly as many problems with coworkers as other people do. Now, you’re probably thinking, “Well thats just not fair- why do I have to work harder than someone else!” I get it. I’ve had those thoughts too. But I’ve also seen the rewards from being a hard worker. Not only will you catch your employers eye but the harder you work, the faster the day will go by and who doesn’t love that??? Think of how efficiently things could run or how many amazing things could be happening in the world if EVERYONE worked really hard during their work hours instead of insufficiently wasting time? We were given brains for a reason! USE IT! One of my favorite quotes I’ve heard pertaining to work is “Hustle till your haters start asking if your hiring”. No one will disrespect someone who can and will consistently outwork them.
- COMPASSION AND KINDNESS- Such a simple principle yet so hard to master these days. I am often reminded of this sweet message every time I feel like not being the nicest. Thomas S Monson wrote, “I have wept in the night
For the shortness of sight
That to somebody’s need made me blind;
But I never have yet
Felt a tinge of regret for being a little too kind.”
You won’t regret being kind guys, you just won’t. I know every time I have lashed out at someone, its because I was thinking only of myself. Also, don’t be afraid to be kind to someone for no reason. Imagine living in a world where people did nice things for each other just because. Without being told to or having a reason.
This kid is awesome! Watch this video- he says it better than I ever could.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5yCOSHeYn4
My favorite things that he said were, “I’ve got barbecue sauce on my shirt too”. We aren’t all perfect and its important to recognize that in ourselves! Before you are quick to judge someone else, reevaluate yourself. You’ve got your own BBQ sauce stains!
“Hello person I never met before! Heres a high five!” Have you ever felt bad after you were out and about running errands and someone ran up to you and told you that you looked nice your that you have a great smile or that you are so so fun? We’ve all had someone give us a surprise compliment and we know that it makes us feel like a million bucks on the inside! I’m gonna challenge you to tell a random stranger a sweet compliment this week and watch the smile that spreads across their face after! Watch this cool message about how we don’t have to be the same to be one!
https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2017-01-003-we-dont-need-to-be-the-same-to-be-one?lang=eng
“I disagree with you but I still like you as a person who is a human being and I will treat you like that because if I didn’t it would make everything bad and that’s what lots of people do and it’s lame” SAY THAT AGAIN FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK AMIRIGHT?! Just because we have differing options doesn’t mean that we can be kind. Heres a fun little thought nuggest for ya- 2=2=4, but so does 3+1! Just because you found different ways to solve that little math problem doesn’t mean that the other way was wrong! People are going to do things differently and thats okay.
“Something nice-If you can’t think of something nice to say, you’re not thinking hard enough!” There is always something nice you can say!!!!
- Follow your passion and allow yourself to create – okay… I know this one is kinda random but hear me out! A few months ago Austin and I shot a wedding in Arizona! I LOVED IT! Weddings are by far my favorite things to photograph! It didn’t occur to me until late that night that I had worked a 12 hour day! It didn’t feel like it at all! Yes, my feet were swollen up like pin cushions BUTTT it didn’t even feel like a long day.
Before I found my love for photography I had worked 12 hour shifts before in retail and 10 hour shifts multiple times a week as a dental assistant. By the end of a long day at those jobs I’m basically sprinting out the doors to get home.
See a difference? Let me tell ya, I can FEEL a difference!
Why is it that I’m working the same amount of hours but I feel COMPLETELY different about doing it depending on the job? Its because one job I’m able to add my own ideas to and the other I’m being told what to do.
What is it about photography that makes me so excited, you may ask? ITS THE ABILITY TO CREATE! The whole process is so fun to me!
One thing that links EVERYONE is our desire to create.
Let me explain- for me, its taking a picture and then editing it to my style. Its an art. For a dentist, it may be taking a broken tooth and making it functional and pretty again. A contractor or engineer can construct a building from the ground up- CREATING something that wasn’t there before. Same goes with a chef, a scientist, farmer- you name it! Do you see what I’m sayin?
You may THINK you aren’t creative but I guarantee that its your creativity that drives you!
In my religion, we believe that part of the reason we are here on earth is to develop skills to be able to be like Heavenly Father and create things in the life to come.
Wouldn’t it make sense that our divine potential has a part to play into WHY we get so much joy out of creating something?
Thomas S. Monson said, “God left the world unfinished for man to work his skill upon. He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth. He left the rivers unbridged and the forests unfelled and the cities unbuilt. God gives to man the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that man might know the joys and glories of creation.”
So, with that being said, what are you doing that is allowing you to be creative today?
Even if you don’t have a job that allows you to practice your creativity (although, I recommend you get one!) give yourself time every now and then to create something. Why do you think kids are so happy? A contributing factor could be the fact that they get to build things with legos and color every day- THEY GET TO CREATE WHATEVER THEY WANT! And the cool part? They don’t have a the common misconception that their work has to look like someone else’s. They are creating just because they like to.
Imagine how cool it would be where everyone could wake up and be EXCITED to go to work! THAT WOULD BE AWESOME! I think this would drive us to work harder and to be happier which helps us be nicer…. That goes exactly with what I said earlier!
Anyways, maybe this helped and maybe it didn’t! But either way- even if it only reached one person and impacted them to put these practices in motion- I think its worth it! You change the world one person at a time and let that person start with you.
