Get steppin'

Sometimes the so-called little things really are the big things.

Last week I discussed some not so obvious applications of President Oakes’s Conference address advising us to look ahead to future consequences.  Reflecting on that discussion got me thinking.  How often do LDS singles consider the consequences of their choices?

I suspect LDS singles will answer much like most people.  They weigh carefully the consequences of seemingly major decisions and casually approach seemingly minor decisions.  But what difference would it make if we projected ahead some of those seemingly minor decisions?  Sometimes the so-called little things really are the big things.

President Hinckley often compared decisions to the hinge on a gate.  The hinge is a rather small device, but what a difference it makes to the movement of the much larger gate.  A very small movement of the hinge creates a much larger movement in the gate.

That analogy applies well to much of life and especially to the challenges LDS singles face.  Many of us are looking for “the way out,” as if singles life were something horrible to be avoided at all costs.  Other singles accept their situation but are frustrated that it never seems to end.  For these and indeed all of us, small changes in thinking and behavior can make a huge difference in our lives.  We just need to get steppin’!

Step up

The first step is a step up.  Own your life.  Too many of us have a victim mentality.  We’re the victim of other people’s choices.  We’re the victim of unfortunate circumstances.  We’re the victim of our imperfections.

And the list will keep growing and never end until we step up out of that mire and embrace the truth: Everyone who ever succeeded in anything also had to deal with the choices of others, unfortunate circumstances, and their own imperfections.  The difference is they chose to be a victor instead of a victim.

Think about it.  Every moment we choose our attitude in that moment.  We can choose to cower beneath the pathetic realities that everyone in mortality faces, or we can choose to step up and rise up against the challenges that confront us.  Our reality in the moment will be the same with either attitude, but choosing to be a victor feels a lot more satisfying.

There’s another important difference, one connected with the future.  A victim mentality will never drive positive growth; it keeps one under the bondage of a persistent mediocrity.  A victor mentality, on the other hand, can’t help but fuel personal improvement.  Once you feel the fire, it’s contagious!

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Step out

That brings us to the next step: A step out!  We restrict ourselves far beneath our potential, spending way too much time on the sidelines of life.  Who am I, we wonder to ourselves, to be spectacular or to achieve some great thing?

Actually, who are you not to be spectacular?  Who are you not to achieve greatness?  You are a child of the Creator of the universe!  You have inherited the seeds of everything spectacular and great.  Your potential is unlimited.  That’s simple genetics, man!

So step out of the prison of self-imposed restriction you have built for yourself with your defunct thinking based on faulty assumptions and limited vision.  Change the way you think, and you will change your life.  Step out of the old you and into a new you, a vastly superior you because you’ve made the seemingly small choices setting you on the road to greatness.

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Step with

Finally, make sure you step with the covenant path and the Lord’s plan of happiness for you. Step with the Savior.  You can do that more easily when you partner with Him for your life.  That’s especially valuable in the adoption of a personal ministry, something I’ve discussed many times in this forum.

Stepping with the Savior also means developing a sensitivity to the Spirit so you can receive the revelation you need.  What action do you need to take today to move closer to your dreams and goals?  What action do you need to take right now?  The whisperings of that still, small voice can give you the answers you need to those and other questions as you navigate being single.

So get steppin’!  Step up to your potential, step out of your limitations, and step with the Savior as you march your way to a bright and glorious future.  Small changes in your thinking and your actions can produce big changes in your life.

You were not put here to fail.  You were put here to succeed, and that gloriously!  When you walk with that faith in every footstep, you’ll be just as single but enjoying your life exponentially more.  And that will bring you more joy in your journey.

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You can listen to the monologue from today's episode of Joy In The Journey Radio here.  Please also feel free to continue the conversation by leaving a comment below.  Want to hear more?  Listen to the whole show by going to the show page for this episode.