Which wolf will you feed?

Read Al's blog post HERE!

I just read this blog post over on Al Fox Caraway's blog and oh boy! It's one I want every single person to read. Find it HERE

In this blog post she talks about "the secret to have your best life" and I couldn't have needed this more at any other time.

 She starts off her blog post with a quote by Wayne Dyer that says:

“I have two wolves barking inside of me. The first wolf is filled with anger, hatred, bitterness, and mostly revenge. The second wolf inside of me is filled with love, kindness, compassion, and mostly forgiveness.‘Which wolf do you think will win?’ the young boy inquired. The grandfather responded, ‘Whichever one I feed.’”  

                                                    (—Wayne Dyer)

I love so much that she shared this quote. And I feel like that even though we possess both wolves inside of us and we have the option to feed both animals, the first wolf is more aggressive. It demands to be fed in a way that is unavoidable. It fights hard for our attention and doesn't leave us alone until we feed it. And while the first wolf is demanding to be fed, the second wolf sits quietly watching. The second wolf doesn't fight as hard and doesn't threaten to hurt us. The second wolf is more like a guide dog (or maybe like a mini guide horse like Sugarfoot on Heartland! haha) It is patient and wants to help us. The second wolf is the wolf that deserves to be fed, but by the time the first wolf is satisfied, there is nothing left for the second.

As is our war with our self worth. Satan wants us to feel bad about ourselves and he spends so much energy trying to convince us that we are worth nothing. He has nothing good to offer us, but still we let him convince us we don't measure up. And after you've spent so much energy looking in the mirror telling yourself you aren't good enough, there is no energy left inside you to remind you of your magnificent self worth.

Al goes on in her blog post to talk about comparison. Right before I read her post I was sitting there thinking about how much farther some of my tumbling teammates had progressed over the last couple of years, and how much I have been stuck in a stationary point. Four years ago I competed level 8 against one of my best friends, and this coming year I am pushing for 9. But even level 9 is a maybe. While this teammate is working towards becoming a senior elite (the highest level in tumbling). 

This green envy monster likes to pick on me when it comes to tumbling. I love all my teammates so much and they are truly some of my best friends, but I sometimes wonder why they have been able to go so far and why I have been stuck in the same place for so long. I put in just as much effort and sometimes more. I attend the exact same practices, I have the same coaches, and I follow the same work progression. But still, I fall behind.

So I was sitting here reading Al's blog post and pondering all the ways I have fallen behind when one line she wrote stuck out to me:

"God does not define you by your faults or shortcomings, but by your heart and potential."

 

It was then that I realized I had been approaching my self worth all wrong. It isn't about how cute your clothes are, because clothes are just things you wear to be modest; it isn't about good you are at tumbling, because tumbling is just a form of exercise; It is about what you have inside you. It's about how you treat others. It's about how you combat adversity and about your relationship with God. It is about your potential.

When God looks at two people he doesn't think "oh... Sara is so much better than Emily because she drew a better line on her eyelid today." In fact, God doesn't compare us at all. So why should we? Why is it that to the world, the outgoing girl in the cheer uniform with the perfect makeup is worth more than the quiet girl with the book that has only put on makeup twice in her life? Because it isn't true.

We are all worth the world in God's eyes.

I love this statement by Al that says;

"the secret to having your best life is seeing you the way God sees you and knowing it. When you look in the mirror next, look longer and deeper.
Learn to not be so self critical because you are so beautiful in the eyes of God. His thoughts toward you are more numerous then you could even begin to imagine."

I love this so much because I have found it to be true in my own life. When I forget about comparing myself and I am focused on the more important things like serving others, I begin to feed the wolf that deserves to be fed. I begin to realize how God sees me, and how God sees those around me.

You are a child of great worth.

feel my sunlight

p.s. It's the second week of school already? Yay for senior year!!! 

 

subsequent

Imagine the feeling of a car slamming into a cement wall. The immediate devastation that comes from the destruction is intensive, but the events that follow the crash are what really define the situation. The cuts and scrapes show where you got hurt, but even though your face is numb and bleeding and your neck is sore, you are suddenly aware of each breath you take. And with each breath you take you find more and more joy. It is a joyous thing to be alive, but sometimes we need impacts to remind us what really matters.

There are a series of impacts that happen inside us, to us, and around us, but what follows those impacts is what we call life. The word subsequent tells the story of what comes after the impact. The word subsequent is my word. It is the world that matches every single part of me. Whether it be an unintended repercussion, or a welcomed reward, everything in my life is a subsequent result.

I have been working as a tumbling coach for almost five years. This incredible opportunity subsequently followed the fact that I was a hard worker during practice and my coach took notice of my effort. This effort has brought me countless other things in addition to the best job in the world, including lifelong friendships, and opportunities to travel and compete all over the U.S. at local competitions, state championships, National championships, and international invitational. But while much good has come from tumbling, it has also resulted in my fair share of last place finishes, and injuries. My life greatly revolves around tumbling, and that is all subsequent to my dreams as a young girl, and my effort that followed it.

While tumbling is a big part of my life, it is only small potatoes compared to all the other parts that make up me. I am a series of results. I play guitar because I was inspired by a tumbling coach that used to sit on the side of the floor and play to us during competitions. I love Narnia because it reminds me of my childhood best friend. I hate driving on the freeway because I’ve been in several car accidents. I love grapefruit juice because my dad used to always buy it for us when we went on vacation. I am a proud church girl because I have received so much good from God that I want to give something back to him, which is the same reason I serve on seminary council. My lack of vertical altitude is a result of my genetics. And I write this blog because I want to share the impacts of my life with the world.

Everything I love is subsequent to an experience I’ve had, everything I hate is subsequent to something that made me oppose it, everything I desire is subsequent to a dream, everything I’ve achieved is subsequent to effort, everything I’ve lost is subsequent to lack of effort, every experience that I live is subsequent to a decision, every piece of my life is subsequent to a piece of the universe. My life is a series of impacts, and what subsequently follows.

Here's to the #LastWeekOfSummer

School starts on Monday.

Please enjoy this lovely picture of me, taken by my friend Hannah, that accurately displays my feelings about the above statement.

School approached me way too fast. It was like I was so caught up in very exciting things of summer and was then startled with the harsh reality that those very exciting things get scared away when the mean and ugly back to school sneaks up behind you. I guess I'm coping. 

But on a happier note, this summer has been nothing but non-stop fun! And this week has been A-MAZ-ING.

My week started off in St. George, Utah with the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on Monday. Please enjoy this video of the lovely Amanda dumping a pot of ice water on my head.

And to follow that my week brought two different trips to the movie theater. Once to see The Giver, which was incredible and I highly recommend it, and If I Stay, which was good, but consisted of too many swear words and sketchy scenes for my liking. If you are choosing between the two then I'd say go with The Giver. It will save you the effort of having to cover your little sisters eyes.

Thursday brought the opportunity to go see the ever fantastic Thompson Square with my best friend Hannah thanks to my awesome grandparents who got us free tickets. Thanks again grandma and grandpa for the tickets!!! Thompson Square was so good and so much fun!

Yesterday I got to see one of my favorite team mates for the first time since he's been home from his mission in Rome. Teriyaki, Sterfry and I (WhiteRice) went to the Ogden temple open house and then to IHOP and then finished off our day with a trip to get Teri's car window chip fixed. Because that's what normal people do when they hang out right?!?! It was so much fun to see Sterling and we are so happy to have him back in the country!

Today brought an exciting tumbling camp complete with potato sack races and cookies the size of my face. And this afternoon I had a wonderful time riding horses with Raegan and Rachel, as well as taking photographs of Rachel and her beautiful horses for her horse riding lessons. To see more about Rachel's riding lessons check out her Facebook page HERE! Thanks so much for inviting us to come play Rachel!!

Aaaaand.... the funniest part of the day was when I ripped my pants getting off the horse. Life is awesome!

So I'd say it was a pretty successful summer. Bring on Sr. Year.




feel my sunlight




p.s. My inner cowgirl is in bliss right now. Also, I finished the first 7 seasons of Heartland (Yes, I do realize you can only get 1-5 in the U.S. Don't ask me how I've seen 6 & 7. It's a secret) and I can't wait for season 8 to come out this fall!!! I'm so excited I can't even stand it!

Guest Post by Shelby from This Little Light of Mine

Hello my lovelies!

I just had the realization that school starts in exactly two weeks from today. That means my last summer before I become an adult ends in two weeks. I don't know how I feel about this...

Today I have something special for you! The amazing Shelby from This Little Light of Mine  is guest posting for me today! I did a post for her a few weeks back so she was nice enough to do one for me. She is amazing and I can't wait for you to get to know her! So here you have it... The incredible Shelby!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Guys!

My name is Shelby and I am so excited to be guest posting on Whitney’s blog!! A few weeks back she did an amazing job over on my blog- you should really go read it!

Hmmmmm….the dreaded introduction. I never know what to say. When asked to talk about myself I forget everything and say something dumb. Maybe when I write it will be different.

My name is Shelby (whoops already said that) I’m Mormon. I love being a member of this great gospel! It brings me SO much joy.  I love photography, blogging (duh), and graphic design.

A few other random facts about me:

1. I have been to 4 different countries (lived in 2)
2. I love music (I play the flute and guitar)
3. I live in the south. No I do not have a huge southern hillbilly accent. Yes I do say y’all.

But enough about me……..

Today I want to talk about YOU…. Yes you.

You are beautiful.

You are special.

You are never alone.

You’re worth more than gold. (extra credit points if you get the song reference)

You can change the world!

Here are 2 song references because I’m awesome like that.

     

Except here’s the tricky part- the world is going to tell you you’re worthless.

Satan knows your amazing potential. He knows you can change the world for the better. And Satan hates when things are made better

So he is going to do everything in his power to stop you.

I love this flash mob so much (please watch and listen to the lyrics)

And we are as the Army of Helaman we have been taught in our youth.

For those of you who don’t know the story of the army of Helaman here’s a quick recap. The people were being attacked, but they had covenanted with their Father in Heaven that they would never kill others again. The Lamanites were really tearing up the Nephites, but the Nephites were determined to keep their covenant. Their young men were valiant and courageous and had great amounts of faith. They soon realized  that only their parents had made the covenant. So they decided to fight to defend their parents. Imagine a group of thousands of young men walking out to defend their faith with unfailing courage and the spirit of The Lord surrounding them. The miracle of it was that none were killed- a few were injured- but none died. One of my very favorite scriptures from this story is:

45 And now I say unto you, my beloved brother Moroni, that never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites.

 46 For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.(Alma 56)

So why did I just tell you this whole story?

Because we are as the Army of Helaman.

We have to go forward with faith. Never fearing, trusting that the Lord will protect us and always be by our side.

We have to share the gospel with all our hearts. Knowing if it’s true. If you don’t know for sure, that’s ok.

Pray about it. Read the Book of Mormon. Trust in the Lord with all thy might mind and strength.

And he will make it known unto you. I promise. It may take time, but through hard work you will come to know the truth.

“I know this work is God’s very truth, and I know that only at our peril would we allow doubt or devils to sway us from its path. Hope on. Journey on. Honestly acknowledge your questions and your concerns, but first and forever fan the flame of your faith, because all things are possible to them that believe.” (Lord, I Believe by Jeffery R Holland- look it up on lds.org to read the full talk)

So back to my original topic.

You’re beautiful.

You’re gorgeous.

You shine like the sun.

But most importantly…

You are a witness of Christ.

Most of us grew up singing the classic childhood song:

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottheffernan/5349351385/

The words still ring true, whatever age you are:

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam to shine for him each day!

Another personal favorite:

Source: http://crazy3rdward.blogspot.com/2012/12/mandys-mission.html

Called to serve him Heavenly King of Glory

Chosen e’er  to witness for his name.

Far and wide we tell the Father’s story far and wide his love proclaim!

Onward, ever onward as we glory in his name! (x2)

Forward, pressing forward as a triumph song we sing!

God our strength will be, press forward ever called to serve our king!

So, never forget to shine. No matter what the world says. No matter what Satan tries to make you think. I know you’re beautiful, Heavenly Father knows you’re beautiful. You know you’re beautiful. Our God is with us and he will not suffer that we should fall.  So shine on sister (or brother, whatever works)

Have a wonderful amazing day!

-Shelby

PS: I saw this quote the other day and it really struck me. It really emphasizes how important it is to truly let our light shine and not hide it under a bushel!

source: http://mormonmommyblogs.com/2014/04/happiness-conference-printable.html

Life according to my instagram feed

My trip to New York #EFY2014Palmyra

Whoa! Hi guys!

Today while coaching tumbling to my class of 2-4 year olds I asked the class to pretend to be an animal, and then I proceed to ask each child which animal they wanted to be. When I reached one of my small blond students I said, enthusiastically, "WHAT ANIMAL DO YOU WANT TO BE?" And she replied with: "A CUPCAKE!"

Any argument that your job is better than mine is invalid.

So, how are you my people? I hope you're doing swell. I sure am, which might explain my lack of posts, but I promise I have good reason!

I spent last week in the beautiful Palmyra, New York.

I mean, is this not the most gorgeous place you have ever seen?!? I fell in love instantly.

So like you may know if you read any of my recent posts, I was there attending a special edition session of EFY. For those of you who don't know, EFY stands for Especially For Youth, and it is a week of non-stop spiritual stuff, line dances, and pure awesomeness. This may or may have not been my 5th time going to EFY. I love it a lot.

Like I said, this was a special edition of EFY which means that instead of a normal session like the ones in Provo, we were able to travel to the various church history sights in and around Palmyra, which as you might know, was where The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints (AKA "LDS," or "Mormons") began.

Growing up in the church we hear about these places all the time, but being able to go there and experience these places for myself was awe-inspiring, and I loved every second of it.

So, I'll spare you the details about what time I brushed my teeth, and what I ate for each meal (although, I must say that if you are ever in charge of providing food for anything, you should avoid meatloaf...) But I do want to share with you the more exciting parts, the amazing places I went, and things that were note-worthy of my journal. I apologize for the length of this post. It was an entire week of almost non-stop amazing experiences, and I filled 101 pages of my journal during this week alone. I did the very best I could at condensing it, but it is all so good! If you want a quicker read, I suggest you at least read all the italicized parts. Those are the very best!




Saturday July 26th- Raegan and I flew out from Salt Lake City to Rochester, NY all by ourselves. It was at this moment when we became pro-airport people. It's a thing.




Sunday July 27th- Raeg and I went to Church in the morning at the chapel right behind the hotel. It was great how welcoming the ward was and just how many people went out of there way to say hi to us. We met several other people who were there for EFY and between all the visitors we at least tripled the size of their Young Womens group. It was awesome.

After church we took a walk to see the temple and the Sacred Grove, and then hung out with other people as they arrived for EFY.




Monday July 28th- The official start of EFY! This day consisted of the ever exciting orientational stuff. Getting to know your counselors and everyone in the group, hearing from our session directors, a fire drill, and some some great spiritual discussion right outside the Sacred Grove with our company.




Tuesday July 29th- After a breakfast of blueberry muffins and peaches, My company headed to Fayette to visit the Whitmer Farm. If I could pick a favorite place we went, this would be it. We were there in the morning and this is what I wrote in my journal as we sat outside taking in the beauty of the farm.

"We are currently at the Whitmer Farm which is one of the most beautiful pieces of land I have ever seen. This was where the church was re-organized and there is no doubt in my mind that this farm wasn't hand selected. While sitting here I can feel the love of my Savior so strongly. I am at peace from the silent atmosphere and the gorgeous chirping birds. I can't help but think that it would have looked exactly like this back on April Sixth of 1830 when the church was restored. This is sacred ground we stand on. Just like those who were here in 1830, I express my desire and determination to act in accordance to the commandments of God. I am determined to find more heavens on earth like this beautiful farm, and in places where there are no heavens, I am determined to create them. This is what Heaven feels like."

After our time on the farm we went to visit the Hill Cumorah which is the place where Joseph Smith was guided to to find the Gold plates, which he translated and are now what we call The Book of Mormon. Here is my journal entry about this place.

"This is a surreal experience for me. I'm sitting atop the Hill onlooking a gorgeous view that stretches for miles. This was the very place on earth where Moroni sealed his testimony by burring the plates. He gave up his live so that I might be able to know the truth. It is also the very hill where Joseph was when he received the plates. He also gave up his life so that I might know the truth. I am forever grateful for these men, along with my Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave up their lives for me, so that I might know the truth."

After the Hill Cumorah we went to Musical Program Practice, Dinner and then one of the most rockin dances I have ever been to.




Wednesday July 30th- After breakfast we headed to the Sacred Grove and Smith Farm House. While sitting in the Sacred Grove I pondered this statement;

"God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph Smith in this Grove."

I then wrote the following;

"I need to think about this statement a little more. Either it's true, or it isn't....While sitting in the grove I ponder these words. I sometimes feel that I need to see for myself that it is true, but I don't need to because I can see the evidence. I've never seen my own face. I've seen the reflection, and I've touched it, and I know that others have seen it, but I've never seen it myself, likewise is my testimony of the Gospel. I haven't seen angels or heard voices, but I have seen the reflection of the truth in the way the sun comes up in the morning, I've been touched by the Holy Ghost, and I know that others have seen physical evidence. So no, I've never seen God, or heard a voice, but still, I know that this church is true, and that Joseph Smith really did see God the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ here. Because, like Emma Smith said, there are some things more certain than sight."


After the Sacred Grove we visited Alvin Smith's Grave, and then we toured the Grandian Building, which was the shop in which the Book of Mormon was first published.

After that we headed to the Palmyra Temple. Here is my journal entry.

"We are at the Palmyra temple and we just did baptisms and are in the waiting room waiting for the boys. This is a special experience because it is the only temple that had it authorized by the prophet to have a clear glass window. The window looking out shows a view of the Sacred Grove. It is significant because the Sacred Grove was the place where it all began, and the temple is why we are all here. From this window everything looks lush and healthy and it looks like how I imagine Heaven, beautiful and full of life. After we did baptisms we went outside to take pictures and as it started to rain we were blessed with the gorgeous view of a stormy sky, with a lit-up gold Moroni in the foreground. It was magnificent beyond description and I feel like with each of these magnificent experiences I reach closer to heaven and the thunder we can hear from inside the temple just confirms it."

After the temple we had dinner, made up a cheer, had games night and Cheer-Off, followed by Pizza Night, and Reflect and Review in bathroom at the Hill Cumorah due to the pouring rain. One of the most memorable R&Rs by far!




Thursday July 31st- We started off with breakfast and then time in the Sacred grove as a company. After that we had an activity with just the girls that was splendid. After Lunch we had the EFY Game Show and a Musical Program Dress Rehearsal. And After Dinner I performed in Musical Program, which I had a speaking part in by the way, and that was followed by a Fireside, and Testimony meeting. During testimony meeting I wrote these words:

"I've never heard silence quite this loud. This is hollowed ground. This will always be a special place to me personally. We are here because we have Lives to Brighten, Hearts to Touch, And Souls to save, That we may all sit down together in Heaven. I'm walking on Sunshine"

After testimony meeting we had R&R on temple grounds and it was wonderful.



Friday August 1st- We started off the day at the Sacred Grove and then went to breakfast. We had a morningside, and company pictures, we then went to a Panel Discussion that was very good. After Lunch we went to the Variety show, and after free time and dinner we went to a second awesome dance. After the slide show and Taking it home we had R&R at the church.




Saturday August 2nd- We woke up and packed our bags. Said goodbye and headed to the airport. We flew back to Salt Lake with several of the other youth in our group, as well as most of the counselors including both of ours. In fact, we even sat in front of  my counselor Kourtney! It was fun and after we got back to SLC we said our real goodbyes and headed to Texas Road House for Dinner with my family and Raegan's family where I proceeded to almost fall asleep due to the wonderful exhausting week I had just been through.





So, in all I'd have to say that it was a successful trip. I got to know some incredible people including my wonderful counselors Kourtney and Brady! They were so much fun to be around and I couldn't think of two better people I'd rather have spent this week with. I'm so grateful I had this opportunity to go and that I made the effort to pay for most of it myself because it made it that much more special. Thank you to everyone who made this week so great! I will forever cherish it!





feel my sunlight




p.s. I promise a picture post soon!!! :)