Author's Corner - Success is Possible

Hello and welcome to my first #writingwednesday mini post!

One thing I've been working on (that I finally finished today!! EDIT: Ok, I'm still not done, but I don't want to post this too late, so...) is editing/revising a short story called "Lois' Song." I started this story in a class at BYU in Winter of 2016, and I submitted it to Spider Magazine last August. I had also submitted a YA story to Cicada Magazine, which is also run by Cricket Media, and fairly quickly got a friendly rejection letter. While I didn't receive anything for "Lois' Song," I forgot about it.

Until, shortly before my wedding, I got an e-mail in my inbox from Cricket Media.

They wanted my story.

I was delighted!! And I did a little victory dance like this:

They wanted me to revise the story for a younger audience, and said that there was no deadline of when to return the story to their editors. They even said one of their editors had called my story a "personal fairy tale" and quoted one of my lines as one that they loved!

They'll still have to consider it again; I'm not a guaranteed shoe-in, but I just wanted to share that success IS totally possible in the writing world, something I think we forget wayyyy too often.

So keep writing!!

Success is just around the corner!

Life's How-to List

Ever wonder how in the world you're supposed to do this thing called life?

Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a play book, or a script.

While God hasn't given us that exactly, He has given us lots of ways to figure things out.

So, without further ado:

1) Prayer

This is for sure the number one way to get through any detail, trouble, confusion, or trial in life. Make a decision, then pray to know if it is right. Pray to know what God wants you to do that day. Pray to know how you can serve others. Pray to help you choose a career path, a place to live, or whom to marry.

You won't always get the answers you expect or want, and you won't always get answers right away, 

but you will get answers.

2) Instructions From God's Servants

We are so blessed to live in an age where God has living apostles and a living prophet to help guide us. He reveals His word and instructions to us freely, giving us resource after resource filled with His direct words, spoken with the mouth of His servants.

We have the unbelievable opportunity to hear directly from God's servants NEXT WEEKEND at General Conference - 4 full sessions (plus the Women's Session that aired last night and the Priesthood Session next Saturday) filled with instruction, information, uplifting, and love.

Anyone who wants to know what God wants you to do with your life, tune in Saturday morning at 10 for the first session - streamed live at LDS.org.

3) Patriarchal Blessings

God has not only given us 24/7 access to His guidance through prayer, as well as thousands upon thousands of His words spoken through His representatives, but he has also given us the opportunity to receive very specific revelation for ourselves individually and for our own lives.

Patriarchal Blessings are special Priesthood Blessings given by specifically called servants of God that are given to individuals who feel they are ready and who have a desire to learn more about what God has planned for them and what He expects of them. Every patriarchal blessing is completely unique, filled with words meant only for that individual. It is filled with promises, cautions, reminders, and occasionally very specific directions in regards to how to live your life.

"Every worthy, baptized member [of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints] is entitled to and should receive a patriarchal blessing, which provides inspired direction from the Lord" (Handbook 2: Administering the Church [2010], 20.12.1)

4) Study

While Heavenly Father does give us lots of direction, 

He can't steer a parked car.

You have to put in the effort yourself to figure life out. You have to contemplate your options, evaluate your choices, make decisions, go after what you want, put in the work. God is happy to help you in any way He can, but first you must study it out in your mind and choose for yourself where you need to direct your life.

There you have it: how to live life and make all the right decisions...

or at least how to correct the wrong ones and celebrate the good.

It's your life - go get it!

You Need to Sort Out Your Priorities

First off, Hello again!!

It has been far too long since I've posted, and I wanted to give you an update on what's NEW on the blog!!

I've started Author's Corner, a way for me to  share my writing adventures, mishaps, and successes with you! This separate page explains what I plan on doing with this, and will have some updates and hints on what I'm working on, but I will be posting a mini Author's Corner post every Wednesday (#writingwednesday) along with my regular posts (which will go up on Sundays again)! The first is coming to you in less than a week, so stay tuned!

I'll be posting again on Sunday to get back to my regular schedule, but I need to share something with you that has been big for me this week:

Priorities.

What are some priorities in your life?

Family? Friends? School? Work? Health?

Does trying to balance your priorities sometimes feel like this?

Well I can help.

The key is to sort your priorities, not balance them all at once.

But in order to sort your priorities, you need to know which is the most important.

Hermione has her own idea:

But yours may be different.

And it may be different tomorrow than it is today.

And that's ok.

Yes, family and spirituality and health should always come before cute outfits and Netflix, but the truth is,

Priorities are negotiable and change all the time.

And sometimes, you need to put yourself first.

Yes, school is important. When I was younger, I would have told you that it was the important thing. I thought grades determined my worth and my future, but now I see that life is made up of way more than tests and worksheets.

Yes, work is important. I love my job with all my heart, and over half of what I do for work is done here and there wherever I can get it in - some lessons plans during lunch, some phone calls on my way home, some e-mails while I'm waiting for class to start. But I draw a line. Work is not my life. It is a part of my life, and sometimes there are other things that take precedence.

Yes, all of those other things you are involved with and trying to do and be are important.

But so are you.

This past Monday, I had a loooonnnnggg morning. By the time I got home for lunch, I was starving, nauseous, exhausted, and had a headache. My body was sore, and my depression was pressing. I looked at the clock and saw I had half an hour to eat something, change, and leave for my afternoon classes, and I realized I just couldn't do it. 

I could have made myself, sure.

But going to class was not the priority then.

I was.

So I changed into one of my hubby's shirts to help myself feel comforted, and I got some stuff done that I've been wanting to get done. I took care of myself, and I didn't feel a bit bad about missing class. 

Sometimes, taking care of myself will mean pulling myself together and making myself go to class.

Sometimes, it means taking it easy.

It just depends on what you need for that day.

So listen to yourself.

Listen to your spirit, your body, and your mind.

It's your time to be a priority in your own life.