Ready for the next big thing

I finally heard Julie B. Beck's CES fireside (I downloaded a bunch of stuff from lds.org to keep my mind off the fact that my favorite meal at Carino's gave me food poisoning). I loved it. It got me totally energized about going for my dreams and setting new goals and not letting anything hold me back. Sister Beck suggested 4 areas for us to keep improving in, and I can't wait to get started:

1. Serving others. Ana and I have been looking for a way to really reach out and make a difference, whether it's going on the next Kaiizen trip or volunteering at a rape crisis center. Although neither of those options worked out, it's time to find one that will. I keep telling myself that all these experiences must have a purpose, and what better purpose than using what I've learned to help others?

2. Sharing the gospel. Even though my friend Carolina just entered the MTC (love you Hermana Tillotson!), proving that 23 is not "too old," I don't think a full-time mission is the right path for me. But that's not the only way to share the gospel. Even having conversations about it with my friend at work counts, in my opinion, and talking to her about my testimony makes me even more grateful for the knowledge I have.

3. Participating in temple and family history work. I love going to the temple. Every Tuesday after work, and Thursday during lunch, I visit my friends at Mount Timpanogus and it's a great feeling. But I really think I need to focus more on my own family history, especially since I'm right next to one of the best family history databases in the world (BYU). My ancestors are waiting for me to do their work. I need to find them first. And even if the Pope did make all Catholic records inaccessible to Mormons last week, there's plenty of work I can do with the records BYU already has (and when I'm done I can enlist a few Catholic cousins to round up the rest!).

4. Preparing for your future. I might already have a degree, but I've always wanted an MBA (I want letters behind my name on a business card sometime. Shallow but true.) and what better time to get it than now? I'm at the pool after work every day anyway (as long as it's not snowing, stupid Utah) so instead of the ipod and People magazine, I'm going to bring down my trusty GMAT study guide and reteach myself algebra. I'm taking the test by October and applying for Fall 2009 (as long as the test goes well).

So there you have it. Life isn't about getting all hyped up for the game then running into a locked gym door. It's about making the best of each moment you're given, because you never know what's coming next. Thanks, Sister Beck, for reminding me.