The Best Time to Plant a
Tree
In ancient Rome, Janus was the god of
beginnings. He was often depicted with two faces—one looking back on the past,
the other looking forward to the future. Some languages name the month of
January after him because the beginning of the year was a time for reflection
as well as planning.
Thousands of years later, many cultures throughout the world
carry on a tradition of making resolutions for the new year. Of course, making
resolutions is easy—keeping them is a different thing altogether.
One man who had made a long list of New Year’s resolutions
felt pretty good about his progress. He thought to himself, “So far, I’ve stuck
to my diet, I haven’t lost my temper, I’ve kept to my budget, and I haven’t
once complained about the neighbor’s dog. But today is January 2 and the alarm
just went off and it’s time I got out of bed. It’s going to take a miracle to
keep my streak going.”
Starting Over
There is something incredibly hopeful about a fresh start. I
suppose at one time or another we have all wanted to start again with a clean
slate.
I love getting a new computer with a clean hard drive. For a
time it works perfectly. But as the days and weeks pass by and more and more
programs get installed (some intentional, some not so intentional), eventually
the computer begins to stall, and things it used to do quickly and efficiently
become sluggish. Sometimes it doesn’t work at all. Even getting it to start can
become a chore as the hard drive becomes cluttered with miscellaneous chaos and
electronic debris. There are times when the only recourse is to reformat the
computer and start over.
Human beings can likewise become cluttered with fears,
doubts, and burdensome guilt. The mistakes we have made (both intentional and
unintentional) can weigh upon us until it may seem hard to do what we know we
should.
In the case of sin, there is a wonderful reformatting
process called repentance that allows us to clear our internal hard drives of
the clutter that burdens our hearts. The gospel, through the miraculous and
compassionate Atonement of Jesus Christ, shows us the
way to cleanse our souls of the stain of sin and once again become new, pure,
and as innocent as a child.
But sometimes other things slow us down and hold us back,
causing unproductive thoughts and actions that make it hard for us to get
started.
Bringing Out the Best in Us
Setting goals is a worthy endeavor. We know that our
Heavenly Father has goals because He has told us that His work and glory is “to
bring to pass the immortality and eternal life
of man” (Moses 1:39).
Our personal goals can bring out the best in us. However,
one of the things that derail our efforts in making and keeping resolutions is
procrastination. We sometimes delay starting, waiting for the right moment to
begin—the first day of a new year, the beginning of summer, when we’re called
as bishop or Relief Society president, after the kids get into school, after we
retire.
You don’t need an invitation before you start moving in the
direction of your righteous goals. You don’t need to wait for permission to
become the person you were designed to be. You don’t need to wait to be invited
to serve in the Church.
We can sometimes waste years of our lives waiting to be
chosen (see D&C 121:34–36). But that
is a false premise. You are already chosen!
At times in my life I have spent sleepless nights grappling
with issues, worries, or personal sorrows. But no matter how dark the night, I
am always encouraged by this thought: in the morning the sun will rise.
With every new day, a new dawn comes—not only for the earth
but also for us. And with a new day comes a new start—a chance to begin again.
But What If We Fail?
Sometimes the thing that holds us back is fear. We might be
afraid that we won’t succeed, that we will succeed, that we might be
embarrassed, that success might change us, or that it might change the people
we love.
And so we wait. Or give up.
Another thing we need to remember when it comes to setting
goals is this: We almost certainly will fail—at least in the short term. But
rather than be discouraged, we can be empowered because this understanding
removes the pressure of being perfect right now. It acknowledges from the
beginning that at one time or another, we may fall short. Knowing this up front
takes away much of the surprise and discouragement of failure.
When we approach our goals this way, failure doesn’t have to
limit us. Remember, even if we fail to reach our ultimate, desired destination
right away, we will have made progress along the road that will lead to it.
And that matters—it means a lot.
Even though we might fall short of our finish line, just
continuing the journey will make us greater than we were before.
The Best Time to Begin Is Now
An old proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree is 20
years ago. The second-best time is now.”
There is something wonderful and hopeful about the word now.
There is something empowering about the fact that if we choose to decide now,
we can move forward at this very moment.
Now is the best time to start becoming the person we
eventually want to be—not only 20 years from now but also for all eternity.
Teaching from This Message
President Uchtdorf explained that when we fail to reach our
goals, “we can be empowered. … Even though we might fall short of our finish
line, just continuing the journey will make us greater than we were before.”
Ask family members to share experiences in which they learned
more from the process than they learned from the outcome, such as graduating
from school or receiving an award.
Youth
Become Your Best Self—Starting Now
President Uchtdorf teaches that “personal goals can bring
out the best in us.” Consider setting some goals in two or three areas of your
life, such as physical health, spiritual health, and friendships, for example.
What successes would you like to have in these areas this year? As you
prayerfully think of some goals, make sure they are attainable but will require
you to grow. In your journal, describe your goals in detail so that you will be
able to see your progress when a year passes.
“Identification”
cji
1/1/2014
Understanding which road to be on
where on the road one is found
which way then one is bound
identification of one’s location
makes all of life easier to grasp
without having to guess or wish
while nothing is ever truly easy
one can simplify by observation
thus to set achievable goals
measuring marks from a to z
knowing which road we’re on
where we’re headed this day
found in obedience to Father!
Copyright © 2013 – cji
