Many of us create a civil war within ourselves by internalizing problems of fear, uncertainty, self-doubt, and worry—often over things we can do preciously little about.

If we spend our time and energy worrying about being too tall or too short or about our freckles and warts and big noses, then I fear we are doomed to certain defeat.

The person who is engaged in such a constant internal fight has little energy and power left to win the outside battles.

To be successful in the many skirmishes of life, you cannot afford to be your own worst enemy.

And taking the battles inside—firing mortal shells into your very soul—is potentially one of the most damaging of all human activities.

Believe it or not, you can recover from poor grades or a missed date or a flat tire and dead battery on the car.

But if you turn such outside matters into self-recrimination and self-criticism, letting them damage your spirit and your sense of self-worth and esteem, then you have begun a battle with a very high mortality rate indeed.

Be more caring for yourself and as kind to yourself as you would be to a friend in need. You are in need, and you ought to be your own best friend. - Patricia T. Holland

👉𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭. 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐃𝐌 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

George Herbert Mead, a great analyst of human behavior was especially interested in the human mind and in the way it operates... According to him, “We can hear ourselves talking, and the import of what we say is the same to ourselves [as] it is to others.”

We all talk to ourselves, don't we? Then why don’t we improve the quality of the conversation?

James T. Duke once wrote, “My thoughts become more meaningful and more holy when I direct them toward [my] Father [in Heaven]”

When I follow that practice, my self-talk becomes more lofty, more encouraging, and it loses the ingredients of fear and doubt.

The result of that kind of personal conversation can bring, for virtually all of us, near-perfect inner peace and a much more positive view of those outward battles we face.

Best of all, we will no longer fight on two fronts; we will focus our strength on the kinds of battles God very much prefers that we fight.

As Paul said in another setting, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Welcome to a new year and what can be literally a new life in Christ, where all things become new and old things pass away. - Patricia T. Holland

👉𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫, 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭, 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

I think the Lord is looking for people who are truly contrite.

Humility is very becoming to any of us, and humility comes from an honest and balanced recognition of both our limitations and our strengths.

But I also think that the Lord will not be particularly comfortable dwelling with a person who (to the exclusion of all other joys and blessings in life) ponders continually his or her problems, who is obsessed and finally immobilized by them, who hasn’t learned to bear those limitations serenely.

That isn’t humility, it is near-blasphemy.

When you dwell on your limitations excessively, to the point that they affect your inner view and strength, you mock God in his very creation.

You deny the divinity within you.

You resist the gift of Christ on the cross.

So be patient in your pursuit of perfection. - Patricia T. Holland

👉𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭. 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐃𝐌 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

Art by: Yongsung Kim

We are children of God and must see ourselves as God sees us, recognizing the positive in ourselves, the part God loves so much, even as we work on what we may think are our freckles and warts and blemishes and big noses.

You can change how you see yourself. You can! That is why a new year is so exhilarating. We have the opportunity to see things better than before.

It is possible to live with all your power in the present. You can replace old doubts with new hopes.

👉𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭. 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞.

The choice to follow the Savior was easy when I was younger. My parents were there to guide me and teach me to always "choose the right." When I was in college, I moved out of our house to study in a different city. I was given multiple chances to choose to follow the Savior or not.

Being in a new environment with new people, I was constantly placed in situations that made me question my integrity. It was during my first year in college that I was exposed to the worldly things a "worldly" city can offer.

I would go out with new friends and though I don't take part in what they were doing, I see how they waste themselves in alcohol, drugs, and idle time.

It opened my eyes to a lot of things. It made me ask myself, "What would the Savior feel seeing me in this scenario?" I have wasted a lot of time trying to test the waters - thinking that I cannot be tempted into doing these things. I was just there for the company. But who am I kidding, right?

When I was with my groupies, I would miss learning about the gospel of Jesus Christ with friends who share the same goals and beliefs as I do. I would miss my parents telling me to go home early and study.

I regret a lot of things looking back but I am grateful I followed the promptings of the Spirit to do better with my time in college. The choice to follow the Savior did not come easy that time because of peer pressure and because I was alone. Nevertheless, I am strengthened by the faith that I have of His undying love.

I don't want to break His trust by doing trivial things. My relationship with the Savior has snapped me out of regret and misery many times over and I am eternally indebted to Him.

Looking back, I learned my lessons and if I have one thing to take with me from all those rowdy nights, it is this: We can always hear Him even in the midst of noise and chaos. All we have to do is listen...

My life would have been so much different had I not listened. Now that I am a parent myself, my choices make me see farther than I ever did before - the repercussions of the wrong ones and the blessings of those that are right. - Joanna

👉𝐌𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐞-𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬.