Potential

I read the talk Help Them Aim High, by President Henry B. Eyring this week and I've been thinking about it a lot. In it he talks about leading and guiding our children, or other youth that you work with, in believing that they can achieve their full potential

"I can promise you that you will bless [the youth] to help them recognize the spiritual gifts with which they were born. Every person is different and has a different contribution to make. No one is destined to fail. As you seek revelation to see gifts God sees in those you lead...you will be blessed to lift their sights to the service they can perform. With your guidance, those you lead will be able to see, want, and believe they can achieve their full potential for service in God's kingdom."

I truly believe that we all have great potential within us, but that it takes work and effort on our part to achieve it. I know the Lord will transform us into better people as we put our faith and trust in Him. I have seen this principle work in my own life. Whenever I have had a righteous desire and I have put forth a plan on how to achieve it and prayed for help with it, I have been able to do things I never thought I would or could. It is amazing how the Lord will help us. He wants us to be happy! He wants us to achieve great things! He wants us to reach our potential! We have to aim high because I don't think any of us realize how great our individual potential really is. I feel that it is so important to develop the gifts that we have been given and to serve others with those gifts. I pray that I am able to teach my children to aim high, to stretch themselves beyond what they think they are capable of, to pray and seek out their gifts and develop them more fully, and to serve others and inspire others to do the same.

My friend wrote this really inspring blog post about indaquecies and I loved what she said at the end:

"So I guess I let those moments of inadequacy hide what I'm becoming. They find a way to steal perspective, then I forget that I'm doing what I should be doing. I'm trying to better myself, to ditch comfort zones, to learn. Little failures are not a reflection of who we are. Big failures are not a reflection of who we are. They're just a time to be patient with yourself.

I think even the most patient person has some trouble with that one.

But be patient, because 'He will turn your supposed inadequacies into recognized strengths.'

Supposed inadequacies. That's all they really are."

I really appreciated this and needed it because it is easy to feel down when we are trying to better ourselves, but are not seeing any improvement. But we can't lose our perspective! Keep trying, keep pushing yourself. You will reach your potential one day!