All in a Day’s Work, and a Night’s too

All in a Day’s Work, and a Night’s too

“It is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions.”

– President Uchtdorf

Tuesday night was my first GMAT prep course. After three hours of math strategies review, I drove home pondering what on earth I had gotten myself into. As I walked from my car to my front door I thought of all the things I needed to do this week. The list included devoting major time to GMAT math review, practicing violin, going running and writing this blog. Of course, it was much easier to let my mind saunter over to the list of things I wanted to do instead. Sleep was pretty close to the top of the list, as well watching several episodes of Arrested Development on DVD. Somewhere in the background was yet another list – the list of things I really should do but am not held accountable for. I really should use up more of the Halloween fabric I bought for craft projects. I really should think about cleaning my room. I really should be doing laundry sometime in the near future. And when was the last time I had my tires rotated? ...This goes without mentioning the long list of items waiting for me at work. I ended up bouncing between all the possibilities and wondering how I had gotten to be so busy.

When I graduated from college I loved having free evenings and Saturdays. Back then I thought of myself as hobby-free. If people asked me what I liked to do I’d say, “Well, I really like TV!” I knew this didn’t really count for anything but I also couldn’t think of anything else to say. I decided to “work on that” and over the past few years I’ve come up with a better list of hobbies. However, now I worry the list has become too long. There are so many things that I like to do that when it comes down to getting serious about something, there is very little time to fit it in. For example, I’m trying to “get serious” about preparing to take the GMAT. The only problem is I have to give up a lot of fun stuff in order to stand a chance against what is proving to be a horrible test. My current scheduled test date is 11/24 which is seven weeks from now. Maybe I can go without fun for seven weeks, but can I go without fun during two years of business school? I’m not so sure.

These issues have been on my mind for quite some time. Last Saturday I was completely content to stay in my pajamas, have breakfast with friends and curl up in front of the TV to watch General Conference.* After eating a very naughty quantity of carbohydrates (mmm… waffles and donuts!) I got settled in a gigantic bean bag chair and halfway expected to drift off in a haze. Much to my surprise I stayed awake. I was very grateful because there was a talk at the end of the first session that I absolutely needed to hear. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s address was called “Of Things That Matter Most.” It was a real wake up call.

President Uchtdorf spent his professional career as a pilot and he almost always ties some aspect of flying into his talks. This time he explained that although student pilots may feel it is best to increase speed and pass through turbulence as quickly as possible, this is rarely the right thing to do. The same principle applies in our lives (emphasis added):

“When stress levels rise, when distress appears, when tragedy strikes, too often we attempt to keep up the same frantic pace or even accelerate, thinking somehow that the more rushed our pace, the better off we will be.

“One of the characteristics of modern life seems to be that we are moving at an ever-increasing rate, regardless of turbulence or obstacles.

“Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives.

“It is said that any virtue when taken to an extreme can become a vice. Overscheduling our days would certainly qualify for this. There comes a point where milestones can become millstones and ambitions, albatrosses around our necks.”

All I can say is – THIS IS ME! This is what I do! I looked up “albatross” on a sketchy dictionary website and I found this definition, “a seemingly inescapable moral or emotional burden, as of guilt or responsibility.” The definition seems pretty credible to me. I think people who are driven are both blessed and cursed. They are blessed because they are sufficiently self-aware to want something more out of life, but they are cursed because they can always think of more things that could be done in order to fill the void. I am driven. I search for fulfillment in personal relationships, athletic endeavors, musical study, church activity, career dedication and more but I know that I am missing something. As a result I try to pack in more things every day and night and can’t keep a handle on everything. The result? “…increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning…” What seems like a logical plan (1. Be ambitious 2. Set a goal 3. Go for it) can truly backfire. Where is the balance?

“The wise … resist the temptation to get caught up in the frantic rush of everyday life. They follow the advice ‘There is more to life than increasing its speed.’** In short, they focus on the things that matter most.

“…Leonardo da Vinci is quoted as saying that ‘simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.’ When we look at the foundational principles of the plan of happiness, the plan of salvation, we can recognize and appreciate in its plainness and simplicity the elegance and beauty of our Heavenly Father’s wisdom. Then, turning our ways to His ways is the beginning of our wisdom.

“…My dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most. Let us be mindful of the foundational precepts our Heavenly Father has given to His children that will establish the basis of a rich and fruitful mortal life with promises of eternal happiness. They will teach us to do “all these things … in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that [we] should run faster than [we have] strength. [But] it is expedient that [we] should be diligent, [and] thereby… win the prize (Mosiah 4:27).”

I would love it if I could sleep for a few fitful hours tonight and wake up wise. At times I get so tired of being young and foolish. I wonder if I will ever stop making mistakes. I overcomplicate everything and need to learn to have an editing eye. I need guidance to find out what things are good, better and best*** and luckily I know where to find it. It’s just a matter of being willing to act on the answer. While I may currently be determined to find out what I can offer the world, I’m neglecting to remember the reason I’m really here:

“Learn to see yourself as Heavenly Father sees you—as His precious daughter or son with divine potential.”

While we are currently limited by our mortal existence, one day we will understand exactly what we are capable of. In the meantime it is just guesswork and the real clues are the teachings of the ancient and modern prophets and apostles. I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the inspiration He gives the leaders of His church to guide Heavenly Father’s children on Earth. There is no doubt in my mind that these men are called of God. I know I can be a billion times happier (not to mention well rested!) if I wholeheartedly follow their teachings. There will never be enough hours in the day to accomplish everything we want to do, but we can focus on the essentials and be eternally grateful for the consequences.

…..

The full text of President Uchtdorf’s talk can be found here: http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1298-7,00.html

*General Conference happens twice a year and consists of four two-hour sessions in which the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints address the worldwide membership of the church. The satellite broadcast originates from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah and is viewed all over the world. The four sessions are broken up between Saturday and Sunday and church members watch the sessions in lieu of attending regular church meetings on Sunday.

**Mahatma Gandhi

***“Good, Better, Best” by Elder Dallin H. Oaks http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-775-38,00.html