30-day challenge: Every Accomplishment Starts With the Decision to Try

For my New Year's Resolution I set out to try new things! And this past February (wow--so long ago, now!), I  decided to try a 30 day challenge; I would do one thing every day for 30 days in a row. I decided to do something I've never attempted in my life: to paint a picture. 

Typically, my creativity is most easily expressed through my photography. I love taking pictures of people, landscapes, nature, and even abstract subjects. I've learned the "art" of photography to the extent that I can manipulate images using the camera settings, or in post production using software such as Photoshop. Snapping a picture is easy to me. 

But painting. Whoa. That's another story! 

I've never taken an art class in my life, but having acquired a watercolor set and some paint brushes, I determined to at least TRY. 

I started with a photo I'd taken while in Venice, Italy last year.

I then preceded to section off the photo into thirty equal boxes, intending to sketch and paint 1 box per day of my monthly challenge. 

And then, I just jumped right in! The first few days I chose to sketch portions of the photo that seemed easier or had less elements. And, of course, I was happy when I completed a square of empty sky or water. :)  After a while, I started to get the hang of things. To be a little more efficient with my time, I would sketch for a few days in a row and then paint (this saved time because I didn't have to mix and remix the same colors every day to paint). I enjoyed watching as the painting came together. In fact, as the days passed and my painting grew and grew, I started to feel like an artist. And, I started to believe that I could really do it! 

Eventually, I ended up with this as the finished product. It's now framed and hung up in my room so I can enjoy the art I created! 


So, why do I bring this up? Is it to brag to y'all that I'm a brilliant artist and that I will be signing autographs for anyone that wants them? 

Haha. 

No. 

I bring it up because I realized through this 30-day challenge that I can do things I didn't expect I could. I simply decided to TRY at the start of this challenge, and now that it's done, I know that I CAN!  

So, hopefully this will motivate you to decide to TRY something new. You never know whether you will be able to accomplish something until you set your mind to it and try. 

"Every Accomplishment Starts With the Decision to Try!"

Best of luck! Let me know what challenge you are going to take on. I'd love to hear in the comments below so that I can root you on! :) 

Heavenly Father: Our Greatest Coach

While browsing Facebook this morning, I came across a wonderful video titled "Catching Kayla".

This story of a champion runner--shared in an E-60 sports Youtube video--is one of the most inspiring stories I've heard in a long while. Basically, this girl was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and was unable to feel her legs for quite some time. Through the use of medicine, she was able to feel her legs once again, but was no longer able to participate in contact sports. Giving up soccer, she decided to take up running.

She was by no means a fast runner to start, but through constant diligence and the help of a wonderful coach, Kayla got faster and faster. You can watch the full spotlight here:



For my purposes here, I want to focus on one aspect of the video: the finish line! When Kayla runs, the heat in her body signals the symptoms of MS, causing her to lose feeling in her legs while she continues running. She has to pace herself using the help of her coach calling advice out to her. She is not limited by the pain in her legs as she runs, simply because she cannot feel them. But, that is not what struck me so much about her story. Each time she runs, she pushes and gives it her all, so much so that as she crosses that finish line, she collapses into her coach's arms and he carries her away off the track to give her the help she so desperately needs.

As I watched her coach catch her after every race, I thought of another person who I know that stands with open arms to catch each one of His children: Heavenly Father, the God of each one of us.

I made this connection while watching this video, and it was something about THIS last scene, at the state championship, that really got me:



I love this part. I love the way that Kayla pushes and digs and gives it EVERYTHING she's got (throughout the race) and especially right at the end.

I love how you can hear the coach screaming encouragements (quite emphatically) as she comes towards the finish line.

And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE what happens as she crosses that final finish line, collapsing once again into her coaches arms; the coach exclaims:

"I got you....You did it!....Beautiful!"

I have come to have a very personal relationship with my Heavenly Father throughout my life. I've prayed to Him daily, and have faith that He is listening. I trust that He is there watching over me and comforting me when I need it. I know that He loves me enough that He sent His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to live a perfect life, to suffer and die for me so that I can live again in my Father's kingdom. Ultimately, I hope that I can live my life now in a way that will allow me to come back into His presence later.

I imagine that He, my Heavenly Father and greatest coach, will be there to catch me--both physically and spiritually--when I pass on at the end of this mortal life.

I imagine with eagerness that He will celebrate when I arrive, that my actions through the "race" of life will put me in good standing in His eyes.

I imagine that as I run towards that finish line, I will continue to give it my all, that I will not falter at the end, but will run straight and true, ever gazing into the arms of my Heavenly Father.

And, I imagine that He will be there at the end of it all to embrace me, and to tell me:

"I got you."

"You did it!"

"Beautiful!"



**To learn more about my faith, especially what I believe about a Heavenly Father who loves me and ALL of His children, please visit: www.lds.org. You may also want to read What Happens After We Die, to learn more.**