As we once again start a new year, making resolutions can sometimes seem rehashed. How do we take steps so this year will be better? As I look back to 2018, I realize that I have made quite a number of bad choices that somehow affected my progression.
One of the main focuses for me and my family in 2018 was to better our financial stewardship. I then searched out materials that helped us improve in that area.
One of the things that I focused on is how to recover from bad investments or bad choices when it comes to money. I realized that the principles I have learned with regards to money are also applicable when it comes to our spirituality. To the Lord there is no demarcation line between the temporal and the spiritual, because to Him everything is spiritual. We are still striving to improve, financially and spiritually, but my positivity that the future is bright has increased substantially.
So here are some tips I learned about how to recover from bad choices (financial and spiritual):
1. Don’t Lose Faith
2. Immediately Try for a Refund
3. Don’t Fall for the Sunk Cost Trap
4. Factor in the Opportunity Cost
5. Be Grateful You Know Better
If money is the currency for financial investment, the currency we use in our day to day lives is TIME. Time is the currency of life but unlike money, once time is spent, we cannot take it back. So how do we relate the principles I have shared to our progression in this mortal probation?
“The future is as bright as your faith.”
1. Don’t Lose Faith
This one is simple. With the bad choices we made in 2018, we may feel discouraged and feel like giving up. But I hope that despite the fact that we made a number of mistakes, we do not forget that we are children of God. And that we are here on earth to learn. The best teacher sometimes is our mistakes. According to studies, the best way to learn is by doing things in real life and actually exercising our agency. So don’t lose faith in yourself, because the moment you do, you are holding back from the good things ahead. It is natural to feel sad, angry, or frustrated but all of these are a matter of choice. You can choose to recover from negative things. Regain the confidence that you can still get to your future goals. It helps if you sing “I Am A Child of God” over and over again. 🙂
Repentance is a reset button we can use.
2. Immediately Try for a Refund
This one is a bit ironic since time cannot be taken back. So how do we get a refund then? For me, this means to immediately repent. Yes, it is true that we cannot take back time but we can repent immediately because for me repentance is a reset button. It does not instantly get things back to normal, but it begins the process so that no matter how long it takes, you have already started on the path. It does not matter who we are, whether we have made huge mistakes, or we have been diligent in obeying the commandments, we all need to repent. Repentance is a continuous process of change and improvement, because being subject to the Fall, we all need to work to progress and be worthy to be with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again. As fallen creatures, it must be our goal to progress every single day of our lives and repentance is the way. If we are at the first rung of the ladder today, we need to strive to be better tomorrow, however small the steps are. Sometimes we make bad choices, and fall back a few steps, but we can get up, shake off the dust and continue moving up the ladder. Repentance does that. You can confidently claim your right for second chances, because that’s what the Atonement is for. The Savior of the world died so we can have second chances, so we can have our refund.
3. Don’t Fall for the Sunk Cost Trap
What is a sunk cost? A sunk cost is something that you cannot get back. An example is a downpayment you can’t get back once you have signed a contract. In life, we also have sunk costs. The could-have-beens, if-onlys, I-wish-I-could-turn-back-times, etc. We just need to move on. Like Lot’s wife, let us not look back at the things that could hinder our progression. We are blinded to the future if we only keep looking toward the past.
Carefully weigh things over to make better choices.
4. Factor in the Opportunity Cost
An opportunity cost is the value of the opportunities that are given to you. Example, you lose your opportunity to learn in school if you choose to spend your time skipping classes. In life, we are faced with a lot of choices, every single day. There are consequences to every choice we make. If we know how to factor in Opportunity Costs, we will be able to make right choices. Here’s a scenario. We are all given 24 hours every single day. How we spend those 24 hours is how we are spending life’s currency. So if you choose to use social media upon waking up and not read the scriptures, the cost of receiving divine revelation first thing in the morning is lost to you. Or if you choose to play video games instead of studying for your lessons, the opportunity of getting good grades is lost to you. I hope we understand that in everything we think, say or do, there is a cost. With each cost is attached an opportunity that we either gain or lose.
Free yourself from the grasps of regret and be grateful you know better.
5. Be Grateful You Know Better
We should be grateful that we have learned from our mistakes. Hopefully, we are better people because of the experiences we have gone through. I hope that every single mistake last year will be a badge we can wear, not because we made them but because we have overcome them, or are striving to, and we can rise up as stronger and better individuals. For that’s what this life is all about: learning and growing.
We have a lot of opportunities to grow. We have things we can look forward to because we have the Savior on our side. I know He is cheering us on despite our shortcomings. I am grateful I know of the Plan of Salvation, for it guides the choices I make every single day. I have my triumphs and I have my downfalls but I am grateful all the same. May we all look forward with faith and not just work hard, but work smart. Let us be worthy of the Holy Ghost so we will be guided to make right choices. I know that Heavenly Father wants us to be happy and He is always ready to bless us with success and abundance if we do our end of the bargain.
