Positive Affirmations! They work!

March 18, 2014

It was a good week!! 

We went to another baptism this week for a little girl that I taught. She is 8 and her parents are members, but her mom asked the sisters, us, to teach her the lessons! It was so fun and I loved every minute of it! I feel like I learned so much from this family!!  It was neat becasue the Primary President asked us to teach the lesson of the Restoration while she was getteing changed.  And it went great!  She had invited a friend who wasn't a member. She is really involved in her other church, but she came up to us and told us how touched she was by our remarks. And she said that she really liked her first experience in a Mormon church! So cool! So just invite others! They will love the experience they have. It was so neat to hear that.

 

So this was the week of positive affirmations!!! My life has been changed. That's a pretty big statement, but it's true. 

 

We had a Sisters Conference this week! We had all the sisters come together in our mission and hear great inspired words. This is where the positive affirmations came from.

 

 I have always felt that I'm pretty positive, but I tend to be positive about everyone else and negative towards myself. But that's not good at all!! And apparently Sister Riggs felt a need to talk about positive thoughts to the whole mission.  So I wanted to share what I learned with you!!

When we have a negative thought it leads to a negative action. Negative actions lead to negative habits, and so on...  So that was so neat to think that it is just a habit that we can get rid of. It will be hard, but we can all overcome habits!! 

And on the flip side of things, positive thoughts lead to positive actions, which lead to positive habits!!!! Yay!

 

So what I have decided to do is to make all my goals positive statements. For example, "I am healthy." or "I write in my journal every night." And it is working quite well. I just feel a difference than just saying, I want to write in my journal every night. I get down when I think about that. But when I have that statement and visualize myself writing in my journal every night, it helps! Simple examples, but the principle is the same. And I decided that simplicity is key. So I don't have too many goals that I'm working on all at once.  My overall goal is one word: STRENGTHEN.  That is my goal for this year, for my mission, etc. It was a suggestion that they gave us to help us not feel so overwhelmed. And guess what? I had already picked a word and was practicing that principle.  I did it for 2013 too. My word was COURAGE. And I had the courage to come out on a mission and do hard things!!   Anyways, I tell you all of this because setting goals has been a concern for me lately and it was really getting me down. So this conference was an answer to my prayers! If nothing else in this letter makes sense, remember that God answers our prayers! :)

 

The next thing that they talked about was "Mindfulness". It is something that counselors teach I guess. But it is so good! When we are truly mindful of our surrounding and focusing on the present time and the things going on around us right now, we become more able to act.  Our agancy, or ability to choose increases.  I have noticed that when I am more mindful of what is happening right here and right now I am more able to receive inspiriation from the Spirit. And I have also noticed that it has helped me to notice what I can do to serve others. 

 

So that is all that I have to say about that meeting.  It was so great!I hope this all makes sense!  I know that God wants me to make goals and to move forward in strengthening others, but it does take time.  I always have to remember patience. :)

 

We also had Stake Conference this week.  And it was regional, so it was a big deal.  We had one of our investigators come. He is so sweet and nice! He dressed up and looked just like a member!  It was really great! 

 

I don't know what else to say. I might be transferred. Transfers are this week, so we will see! I get the call tonight!!

 

I love being a missionary! I have just been loving every minute of it lately!

I hope you are all doing well! I appreciate all the letters and sweet notes I get from you! You help me through the hard times!

 

Love you all!!
Sister Udall