Shall the youth of Zion falter
In defending truth and right?
While
the enemy assaileth,
Shall
we shrink or shun the fight?
No!
True to the faith that our parents have cherished,
True
to the truth for which martyrs have perished,
To
God’s command,
Soul,
heart, and hand,
Faithful
and true we will ever stand.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of
Ladder Saints Hymn, “True to the Faith” Text and music: Evan Stephens,
1854–1930)
In one of the talks we read for Business 110 this week, “Stand
True and Faithful” by President Gordan B. Hinkley, he quoted the above hymn.
This hymn has a special place in my heart, as does the meaning behind it. As a youth
I was able to participate in a large cultural celebration where we sang this
song. The spirit was strong and there was such power as hundreds of youths sang
this song together. That moment will be with me forever and I know that I was
singing a testimony of my life. Faithful and true I will ever stand.
In order to be faithful and true in our lives we must first be true
to ourselves. President Hinkley stated “To be true to ourselves means being an example of
righteous living in all situations and circumstances.” As Moroni said, we
must stand as witnesses of God, at all times, in all things, and in all places.
This includes our personal thoughts. Hinkley goes
on to say “The Lord has said by way of commandment, “Let virtue garnish thy
thoughts unceasingly” (D&C 121:45). He is saying to us that we cannot even think about immoral
matters. Why? Because evil thoughts lead to evil deeds. Then He has said that
if we will let virtue garnish our thoughts, we shall stand with confidence in
the presence of God.” If shall stand with confidence in the presence of
God, then surely, we will be able to stand with confidence in the presence of
our fellowmen. By being true to ourselves we raise our self-esteem, we believe
in our capabilities and therefore more readily accomplish our goals.
Steven Covey gives us another take on being true
to ourselves in the summary of his book “The
7 Habits Of Highly Effective People.” He proclaims “Our character is basically
a composite of our habits. Habits are powerful factors in our lives because
they express our character and produce our effectiveness.” Are our habits, and
as previously mentioned, our thoughts, in line with our beliefs? If they are
not, then I would dare say that, we are not living true to ourselves.
Covey
then goes on to give us the 7 habits of effective people. The first habit is
being proactive. He states, “Being proactive means to actively choose what our
response will be in any situation rather than to react blindly…It is not what
happens that is important. It is our response to whatever happens that makes
all the difference.” Habit number two is beginning with the end in mind. Very similar
to the lessons we learned in Launching Leaders, Covey explains, “Beginning with
the end in mind means using an image or paradigm of your character at the end
of your life as a frame of reference or criterion by which everything is
examined…To begin with the end in mind requires a clear vision of your
destination, and where you now are. Then you can clarify what needs to yet be
done to get where you’d like to end up.” Third habit is to put first things
first. This is the habit of effective time management. Habit number four is to
think win/win. Explained as ,“ A frame
of mind and heart constantly seeking mutual benefit in business and personal
transactions. All parties feel good about decisions and commit to the plan.”
Habit number 5 is seek first to understand then to be understood. The sixth
habit is synergize. “When you communicate synergistically, you are opening your
mind and heart to new possibilities, new alternatives and new options. You
create something entirely new that is better than you ever thought it could be.”
The final habit is “sharpen the saw” or to take care of you physical,
spiritual, mental and social or emotional self. By practicing these habits our
lives become more effective, we take charge of it, rather than simply being
acted upon.
The
most meaningful habit to me is the seven and final habit. Sharpen the Saw. It’s
like the old example of the airplane oxygen masks. You must first put yours on
before you help the people around you or you won’t be that much help at all. If
we don’t take care of our basics needs first, we are not going to be able to do
as much good around us. These habits will lead to a passionate, purposeful life
because they help us to get our lives in order. They help us to have meaning in
our day-to-day purpose rather than waiting around for something big. By
developing these seven habits we will create a life purpose and joy.
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