I get knocked down...

I get knocked down,
But I get up again

You're never going to keep me down...

Without going into too much detail, the beginning of this week has been really hard, things happened, that you wish would never happen to anyone, there seemed to be one problem after another, and like there was never going to be a way out. People were upset, angry, scared, frustrated and tired. There was nothing anyone could really do to make it all go away.. 

But these blogs aren't supposed to be focusing on the negatives, because, lets face it, there's too much of that sort of stuff going on around us...

Something I realised from all the things that have happened this week, is that no matter how many times you get knocked down, you have to bounce back up again. And although at that time, it seems like the hardest thing to do, it is the best thing to do. It doesn't always mean that your problem has gone away, and it doesn't always mean that you're okay, it just means that you're willing to carry on, and try your best...

I realised that I'm lucky enough to have some of the best friends that anyone could wish for, I know that they will always be there if ever I needed them, even at a stupid time in the morning. They don;t even have to say anything, they're just there...

I also realised that my family is one of the most important things to me, and I know that they would do anything for me. I sometimes wish I could take their pains for them, but I guess we all have our own trials, and lessons to be learnt...

This week, I also had my testimony strengthened, I know that I am not alone in anything I do, and that I am loved, I know that what happened this week was a really hard thing to go through, but one day, it will all be okay...

"How you deal with life's trials is part of the development of your faith. Strength comes when you remember that you have a divine nature, and inheritance of infinite worth."

Smile, it's sunny outside :)

When life gives you lemons...

Sometimes it feels as though everything is on top of you, and that there is nowhere to go, sometimes it feels like things just keep getting thrown at you, and there is nothing you can do to stop them.

All throughout January, that's how I felt, like there was nowhere to go, and like the only thing for me to do was to jump on a plane, and escape my life... But, I realised, that is just obviously not possible, I have responsibilities, things that I need to, places I need to be, and people that I could be helping...

I remembered a saying: "When life gives you lemons, make grape juice..." This got me thinking, right at that moment things seemed too bad, like I couldn't cope, but, I had the choice to do something about it, I had the choice to turn my sour lemons into sweet grapes... 

Something that I do, is I try and do too much, for some reason, my life got to the stage where I was trying to do fifty things during the day, when I only had time for five really. But, I was lucky enough to go on a Missionary Seminar, when I found something in the scriptures, in Doctrine and Covenants 10:4. It says "Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means provided to enable you to translate; but be diligent unto the end." - This is talking about scriptures being translated, now, obviously I don't translate scriptures, but I do sometimes think that I can do more than I am able, which in the long run, turns out to be bad for me, and those I am trying to help...

In order to turn my sour lemons into sweet grapes, I listened to the council I read in the scriptures, and decided that I would do the things I was capable of, and be strong and diligent, and then try again the next day.

I also realised that sometimes we have to leave our problems on the floor at the front door, even if it's just for a day, this can help us remember how great life actually is. Picking them back up the next day is pretty lame, but, it's life, and I guess sometimes we have just got to deal with it. 

Life is beautiful, it's exciting, it's hard, but no one ever said it would be easy. There are things that will make it sour, and there are things that will make it sweet...

"When life gives you lemons, make grape juice" Then, when everyone asks how you did it, surprise them with how sweet things can actually be...

Footprints

"Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt.

Something I learnt over the weekend is that we can have a lasting effect on peoples lives. Whether this is through being an example, or just being a friend. Whether it is teaching someone something new, or helping them remember something... Sometimes we don't even realise the effect we are having, sometimes we will never know.

There are many people who have walked in and out of my life, people that have taught me so much about myself, and who I am, people that have taught me things that I needed to know, people that were just there to make the world a better place. Some of these people are still in my life, some of them are not. But, I know that one day, I will be able to thank each and every one of them, even though they might they might not have an idea of what they did for me...

There is a poem about footprints in the sand, and although the poem is talking about the Lord, I think we can make it about us, we can be the footprints...

One night I had a dream--
I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord
and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints,
one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life.
This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you would walk with me all the way,
but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life
there is only one set of footprints.
"I don't understand why in times when I needed you most,
you should leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child,
I love you and I would never, never leave you
during your times of trial and suffering.
"When you saw only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."

~ Author unknown...

Without friendship, our lives would be pretty lame, without friendship, things would be so different...

Remember that "Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart." And be the person that carries someone else in their times of need...

Opinions

I can be an opinionated person, sometimes too opinionated.

I'm the type of person who doesn't like to admit to when I'm wrong, granted there are certain times and certain people that I will back down to, but there are others I wont.

I know that its wrong, and that I need to grow up sometimes, but when you feel so strongly about something, it's hard not to want everyone else to know about it.

Recently I've been clashing with a certain person, probably because they're just like me, they have their opinions and can't always see things from another's point of view. We're just human, so this is bound to happen. But, I can't stand it when I know I'm right, and they won't see my point of view.

I've been feeling a bit down about Uni, I know why I'm there, and I know what my end goal is, but right now, I'm really not enjoying the course that I'm doing, I don't like the way I am talked at, rather than talked to. The tutors have their opinions, and that is fine, I can respect them, and listen to them, but that does not mean I have to have the same opinion as them. Being told my opinion was wrong, and that it will change by the end of the degree made me feel kind of angry, or maybe frustrated. How can someone tell you your opinion is wrong?! It made me not want to attend my classes, I really wanted to drop out. But, I knew I couldn't.

Tonight I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, I was lucky enough that someone had taken the opportunity to talk to me, and ask me how I was getting on. I was lucky enough that he knew exactly how I felt, and what I was going through. He seemed to know what it was like to be me. He knew exactly what I needed to hear, he gave me some great advice, which I really needed to to hear, and that I'm going to put into practice.

Having an opinion is not wrong, in fact, it's great to be able to express your own views. Listening to someone else's opinion can sometimes be hard, but, it is something we all have to do. Accepting that you might be wrong in some situations can be really challenging, but doing so, can help you become the bigger person. Sometimes we might just need to bite our tongue, and let others way what they think, knowing you won't get the same opportunity. 

"There are many different ways to see the same thing, and each of them may be correct if seen from the right perspective." - Olga Bogdsahina

^ That is something I think we can all work on...^