If At First You Don't Succeed, Destroy All Evidence You've Tried

The five of you that read my blog will probably get sick of me talking about my Wednesday night meetings. However, I don't care. I learn a lot when I'm around those people, and they are helping me become who I need to be.

Every Wednesday in my council meeting, we have a lesson about a principle that has to deal with leadership. Last night's lesson was "Putting First Things First" (kind of ironic when it comes to my last post). The person who was teaching this lesson had us list things on the board that we think were his priorities in life. We said the typical things: family, work, church callings, civic duties, etc. We talked about each area, and then he asked this question: What happens if I slack in one of these areas? Automatically, my mind answered (about me, not him): Failure. 

I was at a fireside a few months back with Elder Nelson, Elder Oaks, Elder Halstrom, Elder Johnson, and Sister Burton. I can't remember who talked about this (that's why I listed them all), but one of the general authorities spoke about our generation and failure. He discussed that when we aren't perfect at something we assume that we are failures.We define ourselves as a failure after one mistake. This thought was the first one that came to my mind after the word 'failure'. 

As I let these thoughts stir in my mind, I had a small phrase come to me. This is a phrase that, I feel, a lot of people need to remember. "You are NOT a failure. Just because you've slipped up, messed up, or dropped the ball doesn't mean that you are a failure. That doesn't define you as a failure. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and be a little better than you were before." 

These little experience taught me a few things. 1- Satan will ALWAYS try to confuse you and make you feel less than you are. How fast was he in my head? He does NOT want my to succeed. He does want me to feel like a failure. He wants me (as well as all of you) to forget my worth and the great things that I can accomplish. 2- "The adversary is quick to attack, but the Savior knows when to save." I truly believe this with all of my heart. If we are building our relationship with Jesus Christ, there is nothing that can knock us down. He is always there for us when we need him. 

When you're feeling like a failure, remember: "You have not failed until you quit trying."