My mom e-mailed me Mitch's talk he gave in church last Sunday about setting goals, and I was so impressed with the little man that I want to show it off. Plus, he has some inspiring words for a new year. I love you, Mitch!
Good Morning. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Mitchell McCain. I was asked to give a talk today on setting goals and how they can help us in life. This was a very good topic for me to talk on because I am very in to sports and in sports you frequently set goals, whether they are for a single game or for an entire season. I also set goals in church, like remembering to read my scriptures and fulfilling my duty to god.
President Gordon B. Hinckley once stated, “Begin now to establish those goals which will bring you happiness…whatever it may be; a mission in which to surrender yourself entirely to the Lord to do His work or future marriage in the house of the Lord to a wonderful and delightful companion of whom you will be worthy because of the way you have lived.” When setting your goals you first have to think of what you want to accomplish. Then once you know what your goals are, you need to figure out how long it may take to accomplish them, whether it be a day or a lifetime. Then you need to make your goals happen. Once you are working at your goals, you need to manage your time wisely, as the hymn number 226 “Improve the Shining Moments” states,
Time flies on wings of lightning
We cannot call it back.
It comes, then passes forward
Along its onward track.
And if we are not mindful
The chance will fade away,
For life is quick in passing.
‘Tis as a single day.
Elder M. Russell Ballard once gave a talk to the young adults of Salt Lake City on setting worthy goals. In his talk he stated that
to be able to reach your full potential in life, you must have mastered the ability to set goals and fulfill them. You will then be able to make a great difference in the results you attain in this life. To help you be able to fulfill your goals, you can record them and then keep them in a place you will frequently see them like the mirror or refrigerator. Elder Ballard then went on to say “…bring forward to the front of your mind the worthy goals that you want to obtain. Then practice self-discipline.” Self-discipline is a very important trait to have when setting goals. Benjamin N. Woodson gave a few good words on discipline when stating, “For my part, I have concluded that the quality which sets one man apart from another – the factor which lifts one man to every achievement to which he reasonably aspires while the other is caught in the slough of mediocrity for all the years of his life – is not talent, nor formal education, nor luck, nor intellectual brilliance, but is rather the successful man’s greater capacity for self-discipline.” I need to have self-discipline to be able to complete my goals in sports. If I want to have a better football season, I have to commit myself and have the self-discipline to work hard at practices, keep myself in shape, listen to the coaches, and work at home to improve myself instead of just working during practice. Once you have the self discipline, you then need to make your goals happen. If you ever need help completing your goals, you can get it from your family, friends, and of course, you can pray.
If you accomplish your goals, and those goals are meaningful ones, then you are fulfilling the Savior’s teaching when He asked us, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Elder Ballard commented on this saying that, “Perfection is a process and not an event, and you will come to appreciate that perfection is an internal matter, not external. It is a process by which you and I learn to eliminate the things in life that are not good, replace them with the things in life that are eternal in nature, with the objective and thought that perfection is obtainable, but it must be earned.” When you spend your time fulfilling your goals in life, you are putting yourself on the path to perfection and making your life easier. The Lord will then bless us and magnify us to better serve in His kingdom.
BEAR TESTIMONY
Now I'm going to go set some goals.
