"I Can Do Hard Things"

"I can do hard things" is by far my favorite phrase. Ever. I use it all the time, whether I'm trying to accomplish some herculean task or just get through an extra rough day. I have gotten into the habit of saying it aloud whenever something is tough, therefore, the people around me now know this phrase. I didn't think very much of it until one day a few weeks ago.

I was sitting in AP Music Theory with my good friend *Jenny. I respect Jenny soooo much. She is one of the best trumpet players in the state where we live. She juggles hard classes, music, and is an awesome swimmer. In addition, she is one of the nicest, most fun people I know. It would be an understatement to say that I look up to Jenny. So there we were in AP Theory, working on some homework, or something. Jenny leaned over to me and said, "Oh Whitney, I meant to tell you this a couple days ago. Last week I had a swim meet. I was really tired and wanted to give up while competing, but then your little phrase came to my mind that 'I can do hard things!'. That totally helped me keep going, and I'm going to use that as my little mantra from now on." As you can probably imagine, her telling me that made my life. It was so special to me that something I did helped Jenny, without me even trying.

Because Jenny told me that my phrase helped her, the phrase became more significant to me, and I began to use it more. A week or two later, I was having a really rough night. I was so frustrated with my lack of musical progress because of my injuries. So I turned to Jenny. Half an hour after I sent her a super long facebook message, she sent one back. That message contained the exact words I needed to hear. She encouraged me so much. And at the very end she said, "Oh, and Whitney, you can totally do hard things!".

You, too, can do hard things; this phrase does not only apply to Jenny and I! Perhaps you, or someone you know are going through an extra tricky challenge. Maybe you are working on some really intense New Year's Resolutions. And even still, you may just need a little burst of encouragement on those extra rough days. Let me tell you, "You can do hard things". This is because we are children of God. We cannot do hard things by ourselves. Of course we make the choice to persevere and hold fast until the end, but it is through God's power and because of His love that we can accomplish great things.

What can you accomplish with this knowledge? How can you grow and progress? Test the limits. Find out!

Changing My Life

Bit by bit, recently, I've been realizing that God has a different plan for my life than I have for my life. At age ten, I knew exactly how I wanted the rest of my life to be. I had it down to a tee. In the years since then, I've moved bits and pieces of the elements of my plan around, but it has essentially stayed the same.

Over the past little while though, everything I knew to be in my future has been knocked over like bowling pins. My most cherished talent was ripped from my grasp before my very eyes, and thrown in the air- only to fall and shatter at my feet. Music. After visiting a new doctor I learned that it would be nearly impossible for me to put in the hours of practice I would need on my instrument to compete at a collegiate and professional level. I left that appointment not feeling too different about anything- still believing that I was an invincible musician. However, after a few days I began to realize the implications. I talked to my music teachers and coaches about my options. They didn't show much emotion and it seemed like they didn't really want to talk with me about it. Then, in orchestra class, my teacher gave a little lecture about music colleges, and it hit me that I'd never be going to my dream school. It sunk in to me that I'd never be able to compete. My predicament became real. This love I have, the goals I'd longed for all day, everyday- gone. The  days and nights spent in a beautiful place between reality and heaven, where I was myself in the music. The tears shed from the joy of music emanating from me, and tears of frustration from not playing well or not being able to play at all. The hours repeating etudes, scales, and solos. The competitions. Being part of prestigious orchestras. My quartet. All crumbling.

But through this whole process (which really has lasted years), I've grown so much closer to my Savior. Especially in these last few weeks. Over these days, I have really learned humility. After my realization, I knew I had to put my life in Heavenly Father's hands. It occurred to me that God has a plan for my life, and being the perfect being that He is, it is much better than any plan I could create for myself. I realized that what happens will happen whether I like it or not, and that I can either be upset about it, or just go with the flow. Heavenly Father loves me and will help me deal with any trials He gives me. This really taught me humility.

Once I understood all of this, I was able to let go, and trust in the Lord- mostly. However, I still had this need to know where my life was going. I wanted to know the plan. I wanted to be in charge. I wanted to know what to do with my life instead of music. And it really frustrated me, because I didn't know. I was afraid because I couldn't understand my future. The beautiful future which I'd worked hard for was an empty slate, and that scared me. I was annoyed and worried because I'd given my future to the Lord, but didn't know what to do with myself.

After a while, it occurred to me that just like Heavenly Father has a plan for my life which is better than any plan I could conceive, I don't have to know or understand that plan. I only have to walk in faith. This realization humbled me further, and I was able to relax.

A few days later, my seminary teacher was talking about the same thing. He told us a story about a friend whose life plan didn't work out, and he had to trust in the Lord. My teacher related this to a staircase. He said, "It's like the Lord asks you to walk up a flight of stairs and tells you He has wonderful things in store for you at the top. But it's dark and you can't see the steps. He shines a light on the first stair and asks you to take a step even though you can't see the rest of the staircase." I loved this analogy. It's perfect, and exactly what I had been dealing with.

Since I've humbled myself and begun to have more faith and trust in Heavenly Father, I've been blessed more than I can really realize. After I gave my life to the Lord, I began to have TONS of missionary opportunities! In one week I gave away a Book of Mormon, two For Strength of Youth pamphlets, and a Personal Progress book. I made four or five new friends, to each of whom I shared the gospel in some way or another. And, I successfully invited some friends to some church activities. It was amazing, and definitely not a coincidence!

I also began to learn about my future. Little by little. Line upon line. Precept on precept. Since that time, I have been closer to the Spirit, which has entitled me to more personal revelation. I was comforted. The Holy Ghost taught me things about life, and about myself. I studied my patriarchal blessing and received comfort and knowledge. And, during conference today, I received even more guidance for my life. I've gained so much understanding. Though each bit has been small, I have been receiving so much revelation and knowledge about life, trials, God's plan for me, humility, and the Holy Ghost. I've felt and understood with much more clarity the love Christ and Heavenly Father have for me.

Truly, the Lord loveth His children. He does watch over us and love us. Our trials bring us closer to Him if we let them. There is no way I can possibly express how much love I have felt and how much I have grown through all of this. It's miraculous. It really is. I have seen so many small, personal miracles through it all. I am closer to my Father than I ever have been during my earthly life. It is so beautiful.

If you are going through trials, which we all do, please take this from me- Heavenly Father loves you. This hardship is a blessing for you, because you can emerge from it a stronger, wiser person. Think of how much joy that will bring you and your Father in Heaven. Strive to have the Spirit with you. That is key. Look for opportunities of growth. Pour out your heart to your loving Father. He wants to hear it all. Humble yourself.

And don't forget- God didn't send you to earth to fail, but to succeed marvelously. If you need a booster for your day remember this- the prophets and apostles are praying for you. As are your leaders. God sends angels, both immortal and mortal, to watch over us.

Whitney, Whitney Blog Swap!

Just as I promised, here's a guest post by the lovely author, Whitney Reid! Be sure to check out her blog, because it's pretty awesome, but also because I wrote a post for it! Check it out!

Hi! I assume most of you don’t know me because I live states away from Whitney. Whitney and I have become friends through blogging and through the fact that we are both named Whitney! For those of you who don't know me, my name is Whitney Reid from feelmysunlight.blogspot.com. I am a little Utah girl and I spend most of my time in the gym either tumbling or coaching. While I love love love the time I spend with my team, I love the time I spend with the Lord even more. I am a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and am a little obsessed with this lovely church. When I grow up I want to be a graphic designer, but my true dream is work for EFY as a counselor and a speaker. I have a dream to be a motivational speaker one day. Until then I hope to reach people from the words of my blog. I want to do this because I have a piece of something so great that I want everyone to hold for themselves. This is my testimony.

In my sport of tumbling, as well as most other sports, there is an element of risk. Every time I step onto that mat there is a chance that I will not walk off of it. This is a chance we all take because the reward is so great. There is a risk with everything we do with our lives. Getting out of bed and going to school poses so many threats that if we focused on them we would never leave our bedrooms, nevertheless, we still climb out of bed day in and day out. 

I have learned something with tumbling. I have learned that too often people put there all into the sport, and then before they know it, it is all taken from them with a single fall. It is amazing how quickly dreams can be ruined when your biggest dreams are things pertaining to the ways of the world.

Now I’m not saying we should all quit trying to make it far in whatever we do, but I do believe there is something greater that we could aim for.

Enos 27 says,

“And I soon go to the place of my rest,                

              which is with my redeemer;

     for I know that in him I shall rest.                

           And I rejoice in the day when my                   

                  mortal shall put on immortality,

and shall stand before him;                             

                    then shall I see his face with pleasure,          

and he will say unto me: Come unto me,                

         ye blessed,

            there is a place prepared for you

 in the mansions of my father. Amen.”          

This is my goal. And I believe that this should be everyone’s dream.  Because glory and fame of the world is short lasting and insignificant compared to what we could gain if we are faithful to our father in heaven.

President Spencer W. Kimball said,

“If a man owns a million dollars worth of gold, he possesses approximately one 20-billionth of all the gold that is presented in the earth’s thin crust alone. This is an amount so small in proportion as to be inconceivable to the mind of man. But there is more to this: The Lord who created and has power over all the earth created many other earths as well, even “worlds without number” (Moses 1:33); and when [we keep the commandments, we] received a promise from the Lord of ‘All that my Father hath’ (D&C 84:38)”

 I love this quote because to me it shows that no matter what happens to us in this life, if we endure it well, we will receive far greater than anything we could have imagined. That is my goal.

Whitney Reid,

Feel my Sunlight

The Outward Appearance

We've all heard the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover." But we're all guilty of doing that sometimes, well at least if you're like me. I'm nowhere near perfect at that. But, I try not to, of course.

This video really made me think twice about judging people by how they look. Appearance isn't everything.A lot of times our appearance reflects hardships we've faced or are currently facing. For me, that would be my back brace, amidst others. I know I wouldn't want anyone to think badly of me just because I have a brace. Or because the can't see the actual brace (It's under my clothes.) think that I look funny. Other people have scars from traumatic accidents, surgeries, illnesses, etc. But that doesn't reflect the person inside.

Here is a video of just that. The judges and everyone in the audience judged this boy before he had even said anything, unfortunately myself included.  But then, we were all in for a big surprise.

(If you have trouble viewing it from here, click right here.)

There is more to every person than you can see just by looking at them. Everyone has a story. Everyone is fighting a hard battle, but you can't see that from the outside. And everyone has inner beauty and awesomeness! But most importantly, God can see the strength and royalty in everyone. He doesn't judge people based on the way they look. 

"But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord ^aseeth not as ^bman seeth; for man looketh on the outward ^cappearance, but the ^dLord looketh on the ^eheart."

 

Everyone has inner awesomeness. And I've decided today that I'm going to strive harder to find it in everyone.

An Inspiration For Teens: Jenny Phillips

So, here is the long-awaited interview with Jenny Phillips! For any of you who do not know, Jenny is a Mormon singer/ songwriter who sings music primarily for teens. Her music is amazingly inspirational. It makes you want to become a better person. " [Jenny is] one of the  highest-selling LDS music artists of all time." ( from Jenny's Bio on her website).

I really love her music because it really lifts me up when I am having hard times, and inspires me to become more like the Savior.

So without further ado, here's how Jenny answered the questions I asked:

Q. In high school, what did you think you wanted to be when you grew up? Why? Did you ever change your mind?

A. I always wanted to be a mom. I also wanted to be a singer. But it didn't stop there. I also wanted to be a fiction writer a non-fiction writer, a film maker, a documentary movie maker, and at one point a professional gymnast.

Q. What inspired you to become a singer?

A. My mom gave me some inspirational music when I was 6 years old. I could feel the power in the music so strongly at that age, and I wanted to create that same feeling by singing and writing.

Q. Why do you sing the kind of music that you sing?

A. I write and sing religious/inspirational music because that is what comes out of me when I sit at the piano to write! It is what is in my heart. It is also my way of trying to strengthen others and share my testimony.

Q. Where do you get the inspiration for your songs?

A. Every song is different. Usually it is from something that I read or hear that really strikes me; something that I feel strongly about wanting to share; or a principle that I have been learning about in my own life.

Q. What do you wish that you knew as a teenager that you know now?

A. I mainly wish that I knew that friends and popularity in high school are so temporary.

Q. If you could go back and live your teenage life again, what would you do different, if anything?

A. If I could go back and live my life as a teen again, I think I would be more grateful. to my parents and my family especially. I would spend more time with them, listen to them, and serve them more.

Q. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

A. I consider my music more of a mission than a job. The most rewarding aspect is having the opportunity to help inspire others to be better and happier.

Q. Has being an inspirational singer given you opportunities you thought you'd never get?

A. Definitely. I'm amazed at the doors the Lord has opened for me. I don't feel more talented than other singer/songwriters, and I know that it is the Lord who has blessed me with these opportunities.

Q. Has singing motivational songs about the gospel given you more opportunities to be a member missionary?

A. I have loved the opportunity to do missionary work through my music for both members of others faiths and less active members of my own faith. I feel such gratitude for the blessings the gospel has given me, and I want to share that with others.

Q. As a teen, who was your biggest role model?

A. My biggest role model as a teen was my Grandpa Holbrook. He was an amazing man who cared very much about my life. He always made me feel like a million dollars! And he never missed a chance to remind me of who I was and what was important in life. 

 Q. What do you wish that you knew as a teenager that you know now?

A. I mainly wish that I knew that friends and popularity in high school are so temporary.

Q. If you could go back and live your teenage life again, what would you do different, if anything?

A. If I could go back and live my life as a teen again, I think I would be more grateful. to my parents and my family especially. I would spend more time with them, listen to them, and serve them more.

Q. Why did you choose to write music primarily for teens?

A. The teen years are so important, but they are also so confusing and emotional. Teens are deciding and defining who they will be and what their testimonies will be like. So many critical decisions are made during our teenager years. I want to especially reach out to that age group and give them comfort and strength during that critical part of their journey.

Q.  What are some goals which you set as a teen that you have already accomplished?

A. Be worthy to enter the temple. Record and release a CD. Travel the world bearing my testimony. Be a stay at home mom. Get a college degree.

Q. If you were to be in another career field, what would it be?

A. Film.I believe film is incredibly impactful. You take the power of music, and can add the power of images to it! I actually started out in college as a film major, but soon became disappointed with what the film world was like (so much filth and evil), and I switched my major. I would love to make movies that inspire and strengthen--that are beautiful, entertaining, and completely compatible with the spirit. But this is a dream that I am not going to go after anytime soon because I have an even greater dream of being an awesome mom, and I can't do both right now. So being mom wins!!

Q. If you could fly an airplane and write something in the sky, what would it say?

A. Ha, ha. I love questions like this. I would first of all pass out in fear of flying an airplane. But when I came to, I think I would write "Live like you believe."

Q. If you could have dinner with one person from the scriptures, who would you dine with?

A. Wow! I would obviously choose Christ. But if that weren't an option, these would be my top picks: Joseph of Egypt, Ammon, Joseph Smith, Nephi. Man this question made me excited and makes me realize how much I love these disciples that have impacted my life.

Q. What is your favorite color, and why?

A. White. I love the clean and pure feeling of white. I also love clouds which are white. Green and blue are second favorites because I love rolling green hills and blue skies.

Q.What is your favorite food?

A. Watermelon. 

Q. If you could make a masterpiece that would be displayed in the finest art galleries in the world, what would your work of art depict?

A. I have no skills in that area, so this is fun to imagine. I would depict a mother with a child or a baby that showed such a powerful sense of love that women would be reminded of what a blessing children are.

The songs Jenny has written have truly blessed my life. I'm glad that she is able to share her testimony with the world! What a great example she is to us teens!

The Blessings of the Book of Mormon

Exciting News! This girl just finished the Book of Mormon, cover-to-cover, for the first time!!! Reading the Book of Mormon for myself has been such a great experience for me! I didn't know that I could do it until my young women's leaders challenged me to do so. I admit, it took longer than I thought it would, but I learned so much!
First, I learned that I CAN do anything I put my mind to. For me, reading the Book of Mormon seemed daunting.  I'm not really sure what I was afraid of, maybe I was afraid that I would never finish. Over the years, there have been many times where I've started reading, only to get to 1 Nephi chapter 6. But this time, I did it. The main factor which I think was key to my success was that I had faith. This time when I started, I prayed that Heavenly Father would help me. I asked that He would help me understand it, and help me accomplish this goal. Because I knew that my goal of reading the Book of Mormon was pleasing to Heavenly father, I knew that He would help me.
Second, I learned how much I can gain from reading the scriptures everyday. I started realizing this back in October, and I posted on it (Scripture in My DAILY Life). But throughout these months, I have been realizing it even more. Those days when I don't read the scriptures simply don't go as well as the days where I do read the scriptures. Also, I have so much more confidence because I know that what I'm doing is pleasing to Heavenly Father, and I know that He is proud of me. It's great to know that the most powerful person in the universe is proud of me.
Third, I know the scriptures better. This is a great thing for my blog posts, talks, and lessons that I may be asked to give. I have had a fabulous example of that in the last week. I have been writing a talk for New Beginnings, a meeting in Young Women's for the parents and girls, and because I knew where a certain scripture was, I was able to use it in my talk. I didn't have to research it because I knew exactly where it was!
Fourth, my testimony in the Book of Mormon has been enriched. Before I read it, I mostly knew that The Book of Mormon is true. But now that I've read it from cover-to-cover, I can absolutely testify that this book is beautiful, holy, strengthening scripture that will enrich our lives and help us live to our potential.

To find out more about the Book of Mormon, click here.