Happy New Year!

So I have been thinking...and doing a lot introspection. And a lot of reading. And writing. And more introspection and more writing. And I have decided that for 2013, my goal or resolution, whatever you choose to call it, is to be more proactive in my life. I have been reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and the first habit discussed is be proactive, which I believe is an eternal principle that I need to improve upon. It is discussed in the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi chapter 2. It plays into the idea that we are given agency to choose for ourselves good or evil. My life is the sum of the choices I have made up to this point. I know many people will say that they have been given an unfortunate set of circumstances to overcome, and I am not debating that fact. But even when something occurs in our lives that we didn't choose, we still choose how we react to it. Trials and adversity are always going to be a part of life and we can choose to let it bring us down, or look at it as an opportunity for growth and progress.

When I first started thinking about this, it seemed like such a daunting and grandiose concept. It requires changing a core part of my personality.  But it is something I can work on daily. How do I look at the setbacks that come about during the day, when something just doesn't go the way that I think it should? Do I allow these things to be a set back and put my in a negative mood, or just let it go? Do I use my time to develop myself as an individual and develop and discover my talents? I discovered a few quotes recently that  I think describe what I hope to accomplish and develop in myself this next year.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

- Aristotle

"We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day."

- Elder Richard G. Scott

Each day is an opportunity to become better. Just because one day doesn't go so well, doesn't give me an excuse to quit. It's one day out of the 365 days in a year, 7 days a week. Each day is an opportunity to create the life that I want. If I don't like something, it is up to em to change it, no one else is going to do it for me. Being happy is a choice and I can choose to be happy every day, no matter what my situation is. And my situation is something that I create by my choices. 

This may or may not have made sense to anyone else, because many times I think my rambling doesn't make sense to anyone else. But then again, that's ok because I don't really write out what I'm thinking for anyone else. And if it did make sense to you, that's great too. Happy New Year!