I Often Forget!

Conference talks are my favorite ever! 

I know I take them for granted at times, and do not study them as much as I should.

However, they are incredible and can be a huge source of strength. 

Recently, I reread the talk from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf entitled, "Forget Me Not."

I absolutely love this talk, and the power that comes from studying it. 

I also love that it goes along with one of my favorite words: REMEMBER! 

Throughout the Book of Mormon, we are reminded numerous times to remember various things. 

For me, that Heavenly Father's way of saying, "This is important, so don't forget it."

But, being the human I am, I most often times do forget those important things. 

I get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, that I so often lose sight of the important things, and do not remember them like I am asked to. 

As a result, I find myself just unhappy and to be honest, quite miserable. 

Then I have to go through the process of remembering again to regain the true joy in my life. 

In this talk, President Uchtdorf talks about remembering by talking about forget me not flowers. 

Aren't this cute little flowers? But they are often overlooked, just as I overlook many of the important things in my life. 

He shares five keys points to remember or "forget not" that bring great joy.

They are: 

1) "Forget not to be patient with yourself." I am definitely guilty of doing this. As I so easily recognize my weaknesses, and am hard on myself because of them, I forget to notice my strengths and little joys. I love how he puts it: "Like the tiny forget-me-nots, these success may seem tiny to you and they may go unnoticed by others, but God notices them and they are not small to Him. I love that reminder to strive each day to be better, but recognize your progress and little joys on the way. Self reminder #1: Slow down a little and recognize your joys in life!

2) "Forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice." I have realized, as I get older, that time is so precious, and it often goes by way to fast. Especially with school and work. I feel like I blink and the semester is over! Scary! I also have realized that I could make better use of my time. There are so many good and noteworthy things to be doing that I am not. I love the question Pres. Uchtdorf asks: "Am I committing my time and energies to the things that matter most?" Self reminder #2: Slow down and think about how I am spending my time. 

3) "Forget not to be happy now." This is a toughy, especially at my stage in life. Being in the young single adult stage is tough, and I am reminded of it constantly. It is so easy to find myself wishing I was married, wishing I was done with school, and wishing that I had a family of my own. I guess with any goal we set in life, it is easy just to focus on what we want, and to be unhappy if we are far from attaining it. But, the truth is, there are so many things in my life right now that do bring great joy. As reminded by Pres. Uchtdorf: "If we spend our days waiting for fabulous roses, we could miss the beauty and wonder of the tiny forget-me-nots that are all around us." Self Reminder #3: Choose to be happy each day! Choose to notice the little things that bring great joy, just as forget-me-not flowers make me happy and are tiny!

4) "Forget not the 'why of the gospel." It's so easy just to go through the motions sometimes and to forget why you do the things you do. I even find this with the gospel. I turn it into a check list of things to do, instead of realizing that it is for my own growth and progression. Self Reminder #4: Stop and ask myself "Why am I doing this?" and never forget the importance of living the Gospel. 

5) "Forget not that the Lord loves you." This is another one that is so easy to forget, especially being in the young single adult age. This time in life kind of feels like the "forgotten" stage because everyone is so busy in their own lives. I am guilty of it too! I get so caught up in what I have going on that I forget to notice others. This is probably the easiest one to forget and can cause a lot of sadness. However, I love this promise "Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love. Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time!" Self Reminder #5: NEVER forget that I am loved! NEVER let my circumstances allow me to forget that love. Also, I need to share that love with others! 

I am so thankful I decided to read this talk today and be reminded of many important things. It helped me to realize that I just need to slow down a little bit and remember the forget-me-nots. I know there is great joy in doing so!