Friday, November 16, 2012

My Governing Values

This assignment was not for my Family History class, but instead for my English class.  We read an article about the importance of defining our own governing values, and then writing them down. I really think that this is something that should be included in my Book of Remembrance.  I want my children to know what values I thought were most important and wanted to live my life by.  I wrote these as if I were my 'perfect' self.  This way I know what I am striving for, and hopefully, if I were perfect, this is who I would be.  It is definitely who I want to be.


My Governing Values

1.       Heavenly Father comes first.  I love him with my whole heart, soul, and mind.
                My Heavenly Father means the most to me above all else. I trust in him to provide for me, and I trust that by putting him first all other things in my life will fall into place.  I will abide in him and in return he will abide in me.  The will of God will become my will.   I know that I am a child of God and that he loves me.  He has sent me to be tested, but that doesn’t mean that he is not with me during those hard times. 

2.       Trust in the Atonement
                The Atonement of God is what allows me to be myself.  It allows me to make mistakes and be forgiven of them.  It helps me realize that I am only human and I cannot do everything, and that is ok.  While the Atonement helps me realize I am only human, it drives me to strive for perfection and to always be my better self.

3.       I am obedient
                I have faith that the Lord has given me commandments to help me return to him.  He only has what is best for me in mind, and has asked for my obedience in order to help me find happiness.  Because I understand why my Heavenly Father has asked for this, I am valiant!  I do not ask how bad I can be, but I strive to be valiant and obedient.  I follow God’s commandments and I do it happily.

4.       I am a good wife
                I always strive to support and truly listen to my husband.  I am intuitive to when he needs me most and I provide comfort and help when he asks for it.  I make sure that his needs are provided for in terms of meals, a clean home, and a happy wife.  This doesn’t mean that I don’t ask for help within the home when I need it.  I make time to be with him and enjoy the time spent.  I provide spiritual support when he needs it, and I make sure that we are equally yoked within our marriage.

5.       I am a good, loving mother
                I provide for my children’s need in a mother.  I give them love and work hard to be an authoritive parent.  I teach my children the importance of making their own choices and discovering what consequences those choices bring. I realize that I am raising my children to be adults, contributing members of a society and will one day be the driving force in the world.  My children know that no matter what I will always love them unconditionally and that I do not expect anything but their best in life. However, I hold them and cry with them when sometimes life lets them down.  My children know that I would cross the I-beam for them in a heartbeat, and would do as many times as needed.  I expect my children to respect me, not only because I am their mother, but because I give them respect.
                I push my children to work hard and to value good work. I teach them the joys of an education, and my own love of music and books.  Most importantly I teach them to be empathetic, compassionate, and to love God above all else.  I provide for my children spiritually by bearing my testimony often to them and helping them learn and apply gospel principles.  I stress the blessings of being an eternal family and how happy I am that they are mine.

6.       I am grateful
                I have gratitude for the blessings I enjoy.  I recognize the tender mercies I am given each and every day and I thank my Heavenly Father daily for them.  I also write them down each day so that my children might know all that I have received and see the goodness of God through it.  I express gratitude to the people who have helped me or made a difference in my life.  Those that I am close to feel appreciated because I strive to make them understand the gratitude I have for them.

7.       I have integrity
                I realize that integrity is one of the greatest gifts that I can give to society.  Integrity is what allows me my freedom. I am not bound by the lies I have told, and the harmful things I have done, because I never did them in the first place.  I realize that my word is binding and that trust must be built and kept.  Integrity is more than just not telling lies, it is an intrinsic part of me and it motivates me to always do what is right, no matter what the situation.

8.       I know that trials not only for my good, but that they help me to ‘become’
                Trials help me to realize my inner strength and become stronger.   Trials help me to realize the hand of God in my life and become more dependent on him.  Trials make me see the good that I have, and they refine me into who I want to be.  Trials help me to become closer to those that I love most in life, and they help me to work a little harder to be a little better every day.

9.       Financial Security and Peace are important
                I am financially stable.  I put away monthly for retirement so that my husband and I will be safe later on in life.  I have no debt except for education and home, and I work hard to “snowball” those debts to pay them off faster.  I only spend money that I have, and my money for needs is spent first.  I know that financial troubles can affect every aspect of life, and therefore to have peace, I must be financially stable.

10.   Education is a precious gift to be sought after
                I love to learn.  I read books to learn and to be stretched.  I continually strive for more education, and I realize that good grades are reflective of hard work and knowledge gained.  I work hard to constantly be learning because I know that what I have learned in this life is the only thing that I take with me after I have died.   Education is a gift, to be educated is to know about the mysteries of life.  From reading, one can learn about all walks of life and all kinds of people.  Knowledge allows us to connect to other people, to better understand ourselves, and the teachings of God.

11.   To know where I’m going, I must know where I have been
                I respect my ancestors, and seek diligently to do their Temple work.  I realize that without their choices and sacrifices, I would not be blessed with many of the things I have today.  I understand that they need me to enjoy the blessings of Heaven, and I will not let them down. 

12.   I am passionate about music
                Music is my passion.  It is what allows me to feel talented, and that I truly have a gift.  It speaks to my soul and helps me to learn about myself and to channel my emotions when they seem too much.  Music has been a form of language since the beginning of time and I have the blessing to bring that language to others and to do the work of God through this special talent.
                I know that music helps to develop admirable qualities in myself such as discipline, hard work, and understanding.  It helps me to know the importance of setting goals within my passion and to work to achieve new skills and learn new music. 

13.   I am happy and positive
                I am a happy individual and I am recognized as so. I go about with a smile on my face and when others think of me, they think of me as one who is happy with my life.  I do not burden others with my sorrows, but instead try to lift them up.  The world does not need to know my worries, God knows them, and he will provide that every need is taken care of.  People want to be around me because they know that I will buoy them up and be happy for their joys, and that I will not only complain about my troubles.

14.   Time management is important to me and I am productive
                I manage my time well and use it to my advantage to accomplish the things I need to.  I don’t squander time on useless things such as excessive social media, T.V. watching or game playing.  I also understand the importance of punctuality.  I realize that by being late to things I am being arrogant because I feel that my time is more important than the people I was supposed to be on time for.
                I plan each day the things that need to be done and I do them.  I do not waste time, and I do not lament that I do not have enough time.  I show my family that I care about them by meeting their needs in a productive manor, and I show others that I value them by producing quality work within the time frame I am given.

15.   I have self-respect
                I am not to blame for the things that go wrong in other people’s lives.  I need to respect myself by not allowing myself to take the blame.  I have self-respect because I understand the value that I have to my Heavenly Father and the importance I have within my family.  My self-respect drives me to stay in control of my body, and to honor my name.

16.   I accept others for who they are and I do not judge or gossip
                I accept those who may not live life the way I do.  I do not mock them or judge them for their choices because I realize that it is through God’s plan that we each have the agency to make our own individual choices, and it is not my place to scrutinize them. Gossip only stresses the bad in others and it does not promote the spirit.  Therefore I do not gossip and I make sure that the things I say about others are positive and uplifting.

17.   I have empathy and compassion, I look for opportunities to serve
                I am empathetic to the plights of others.  I have compassion for them and truly look for ways to help them.  I am always ready to serve and looking for opportunities to serve someone, even in the smallest way. 

18.   I value good health
                I follow the word of wisdom to keep my body clean.  I do not intake that which could be harmful to my body because I know that my body is a Temple and I am expected to keep it clean.  I work hard to keep in good physical condition because I know that it is important to be in the best health to be a good mother and wife.  I will not be able to play with my children if my body is not in a condition to do so.  Without a healthy body, family activities will be limited that I can participate in, and I want my children to know I value my body as something special and that I take care of myself. 
                I realize that cleanliness is part of good health and I work hard to keep myself, my children, and my home environment clean.  My children are bathed regularly, their rooms kept tidy, and their clothes washed often.  I also prepare nutritional meals for my family because I know it is important in young years to be fed well and I want to give my children their best chance.
19.   I take responsibility
                I know that when things don’t get done they are done because I didn’t do them, I do not provide excuses to pass responsibility to someone, or something else.  I am responsible for my actions and when I do something wrong I admit my mistake and I fix it.  I do not tell fibs to cover my actions, and I take charge to right my wrongs.

20.   I value hard work and endure to the end.
                I know that the good things in life are earned, not given.  I work hard for the things I have and what I accomplish.  I do not work to a lesser quality than I know I am capable of, and I endure to the end.  If I start something, I finish it.  When trials come, I follow them through.  I keep the goal in sight and I work hard to reach it.  I set goals because they help me to remember the importance of what I am doing and to continue to work hard.  There is nothing sweeter than enduring through hard work to obtain something well sou

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