Failure: Requisite for success

I have been continually fascinated by success. By what is is, how our views and beliefs about ourselves and the world shape it, and most importantly, how we obtain it. It involves a great deal of self-analysis, goal setting, planning, and of course work. But there is an important aspect involved in the process of becoming whatever it is that we desire to be that causes us to fail. It causes us to fear our potential. That is failure.

Growth

The past few weeks I've been thinking a lot about the way we learn and grow. As missionaries we exercise for thirty minutes. I'm no body builder, but I've noticed that day after day I've gotten a bit stronger. My companion has a pull-up bar and so at the beginning of the month I started doing pull ups and chin ups each morning and evening.

Exact Obedience

2,060

In the Book of Mormon there is a story about two-thousand and sixty young men who go to war. Their parents had made oaths of pacifism and couldn't produce experienced warriors to aid their country's army. These 2,000 young boys offered their services to their nations efforts to defend their lands despite never having fought before. 

Light and truth

Revelation

Jesus Christ once asked his Apostles who they believed him to be. The people at the time held many different views on who Jesus Christ was, and Christ asked his Disciples to see if they understood his divine commission. To his question "But whom say ye that I am" Peter replied with conviction "Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God". Christ then taught Peter that it was not "Flesh and blood" that had revealed it to him, but "his Father, who is in heaven". 

Doubt

Doubt is to consider something unlikely. It is a lack of trust and confidence in ourselves, our relationships with good people, and God. Doubt is a poison that flows from fear. It is immobilizing, crippling, and can lead to despair. It is rightly said that Doubt and faith cannot exist in the same mind at the same time. William Shakespeare wrote  'Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.'.

Doubt is the absolute inverse of faith.

A proper understanding of doubt, where it comes from and how it affects us, helps us to be able to recognise it in ourselves and to change. What I've found is that there are three main motivators for the actions or emotions of people. They are fear, duty, and love.

It is far easier to begin to doubt, or to allow doubt to grow, when we are motivated purely by fear. Our thoughts and motivations sound more like 'I have to go to work or else I'll be fired' or 'I have to get good grades or my dad will kill me'. Fear is a very selfish motivation, and causes us to focus a bit too much on ourselves.

I love the story in the Book of Mormon in Alma chapter 46. This is about a man named Amalikiah. He wanted to overthrow the government, and to be a king over the people. He was very sneaky and crafty and started to lead the people to his way of thinking. Many people were deceived into thinking they would be more free under his rule, others wanted power and social status. They were motivated by selfishness and pride.

Then Captain Moroni shows up. He was in charge of the Nephite armies when he was just 25 years old, and many people respected him. He put on his battle armour and made a banner where he wrote the reasons why the people had their freedom. He rallied the people around this banner that reminded them of their God, religion, freedom, and peace, wives, and children—

He called upon a higher motivation  within the people. He pulled on their desire for the welfare of others as opposed to themselves. This banner is called the title of liberty, and served as a rallying cry for the people for years to come. I even have a statue of Captain Moroni raising that banner on my desk.

As we learn to focus on our righteous, selfless desires instead of our own doubts and fears, our faith will increase and we will eventually forget that we even doubted at all.

"Let your faith roar so loud that you do not know what doubt is saying!"

Faith and Sacrifice

Of Faith and Sacrifice

Love is one of the most powerful forces on this earth. By it wars have started and ended and emipires have risen and fallen. Through the zeal of a love of God the world has been transformed by loving, charitable hands, and has been scarred by the overzealous acts of extremists. When bridled it provides a home with an atmosphere of peace and harmony, and when unbridled it is loose to tear the family to pieces.

There are four ways in which the word love is used in greek: Agápe, spiritual love (love of God) ; Éros, passionate love (Romantic interest); Philla, mental love (Love of a friend); and Storge, affection (Parent and child). I speaking primarily about Agápe.
The most famous verse in scripture reads:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Saïd Business School, Oxford University

Last year I had the opportunity to attend a seminar at the Saïd Business School, at Oxford University. The seminar was in honour of Kim B. Clark, president of BYU-I, and a previous dean of the Harvard Business School. There were several other guests that are leading scholars of business and leadership such as Clayton M. Christensen.

At this seminar there was a resounding theme throughout. "We're willing to suffer damage to gain their trust". That is a statement that has played on my mind quite a bit. We suffer for others to gain their trust.

Christ said "If ye love me, keep my commandments". We show love by trust, which comes by way of sacrifice. God loved the world, so he gave. God loves unconditionally, but that love is not associated with unconditional trust. He trusts us with light, faith, revelation, responsibility, forgiveness, and ultimately eternal life to the degree that we are willing to trust (Sacrifice for) him. Where there is no sacrifice there is no trust, and the love of God for us carries no promise.

This is the great secret. 

Eternal life is granted to him that is willing to sacrifice all things. That doesn't mean burn your possessions and forfeit your relationships. But it means that we must do as Abraham. When the lord calls and requires that which we care about most, we cannot withhold. We must be submissive and willing to follow our Saviour and King to the end. Each trial bears a call to sacrifice, and each sacrifice brings forth renewed and invigorated faith, if we can but prove faithful. 

"Trust the lord with all thine heart,... and He shall direct thy paths"

For These are the Things Jesus Taught

I'm trying to be like Jesus;
I'm following in his ways.
I'm trying to love as he did, in all that I do and say.
At times I am tempted to make a wrong choice,
But I try to listen as the still small voice whispers,

"Love one another as Jesus loves you.
Try to show kindness in all that you do.
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,
For these are the things Jesus taught."