When I was a young boy, I had no concept of the fragility of life and, therefore, no fear of death. As I grew older, I developed a sense of arrogance about myself, believing that I was above such concerns. I was a good person! I held the Aaronic priesthood and “knew” so much more than my friends! I carried that sense of entitlement for far too many years. It took my life, and faith, almost falling apart to realize the true significance of Like 12:48 “…For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…”. I now understand that having a concrete set of beliefs, principles, and ideals that will guide me to be the best person I can be is a critical step in building a life of discipleship and success.
The process of defining and documenting my core values was a great experience. I’ve had my core values in another format for quite some time, but this exercise really made me focus on how things are going and how much progress I am (or am not) making. I will absolutely plan to review this document for frequently in the future than I have in the past.
I was also inspired by activity where I addressed my fears. It’s become clear to me that, while I do intend to prepare for “career 2.0” in the coming years, I don’t really believe I want to start over from ground zero. For me, that means moving certain objectives up and beginning earlier than I originally anticipated. I think that’s a good thing. I wasn’t really planning on changing my career until my youngest son was out of high school (he’s currently in kindergarten) so I have time to really think and plan. But the fears worksheet got me thinking about risk mitigation and contingency planning a lot more than I have up to know.
Ultimately, I think the biggest lesson I learned this week is that I can’t let fear derail my plans. But instead of just “overcoming” my fears, I need to recognize and address them. I need to use my fears to help plan and prepare myself for the difficulties that could arise as I transition careers and lifestyles in the coming years.
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