The Life of VY

11. Read, read, read. Imagine, create, dream. 12. Everyone loves a handwritten note. Write them often. Even just to say hello 13. Spend time in nature. Put the screens away and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you. 14. Find the good in every day. There is something to be grateful for everyday. Better yet, write it and journal it. 15. Set achievable goals. By 30 you know yourself pretty well to set goals that you can achieve. 16. Make plans and keep appointments. Don't be a flake. 17. Never suppress a generous thought. Give more than you take. Don't take advantage of people or situations. 18. Treat yo' self. Be kind to yourself. Take breaks. Walk away. Say no.  The relationship with yourself is the longest relationship you will ever have. 19. Celebrate the small things. Even if it's just waking up at going to the gym. A win is a win.  20. Be your own cheerleader. Your inner voice is more powerful than you know, use it well.

These points are in no particular order or ranking and  some may be a little cliche... 1. "The simple secret is this: put your trust in the Lord, do your best, and leave the rest to Him." - Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin This has been my life motto for over a decade. This WILL work out in the end. Trusting in God will help you through it even on your darkest days. 2. Try to do something good for your mind, body and soul everyday. This was my new years resolution a few years back and I have tried to continue to apply it daily. Some things I have done for my mind are: reading books, studying for school, learning a new skill, just relaxing and taking a mental break. My body: healthy eating, 8 hours of sleeps, 100 oz of water, exercise My soul: scripture study, daily prayer, watch conference videos, prepare lessons, write talks 3. Learn to manage your expectations. Better yet, don't have them and you'll be happier and less disappointed. Having standards is f...

30 years; 3 decades; 360 months; 10950 days This is a first of a series of posts I will do about 30 things everyone should know before they turn 30. Remember that episode of Friends when they turn 30 and Joey freaks out? hahaha That was me the past 2-3 years. I basically missed 28 because I was afraid to turn 29...lol 2018 brought many great experiences and adventures. In August, I turned 30 years old, went to clinic for school, worked a little and went to dinner with friends. Just a regular day in "the life of vy." Nothing magical happened, I looked, felt and was essentially the same.   Growing up I thought by age 30 I would have a husband, kids, home, maybe a dog, a career I loved, etc. Society feels the same way and by 30 there are things I "should" have accomplished or should have checked off a made up list. Unbeknownst to the young me the 30 year old me is back in school while working full time and still single with no kids and no pets. As my mom ...

Often times in life we look back at times where things have worked out in our favor and think, "wow, that was such a wonderful coincidence" or "man, I got lucky that time" and even the occasional "#blessed." Through the years I have come to realized that "good luck," chance meetings," and "a series of fortunate events'' have nothing to do with luck at all. Instead they are tender mercies from a loving Father in Heaven.  We are children of God and all good things are from him. Yesterday I was able to still make it to a temple session despite having to be rebooked onto another airlines and having my original arrival time delayed. The agent who had to rebook me was really nice and did not give  me attitude or any trouble. I usually have a hard time at the airport in general and when I saw the initial change in schedule I almost burst into tears due the stress of it all. I was afraid that this was a bad omen for my next two wee...

Let’s face it, life is rough for everyone. We all have good days and bad days, happy days and sad days, Mondays and Fridays, but not matter what kind of day we are having or what day of the week it is we can make someone days. We can make a difference. A smile, a wave or holding the door open doesn’t cost us anything. So be good to one another! Be kind. Yesterday the beloved prophet of my church passed away. He was the epitome of kindness, charity and love. One of my life goals is to be more like him. I’m very far away but hopefully little by little I will be able to be more like him and more like Christ.

I've been entertaining the idea of blogging on and off for the past five plus years. After reading the book Wonder I made a decision to challenge myself at the start of this year to be a kinder than necessary and have the courage to be an influence for good. On this blog I will record my experiences with this experiment. Hope you enjoy following along.