Life is NOT a burden!

Wow, sometimes we all need a wake-up call, but me especially for the past few...maybe years lol. What is it that I so desperately needed to understand? Well, it's simple really...LIFE IS NOT A BURDEN! You would think a girl like me with piles of blessings on every side of her would have realized this by now, but apparently not. After all, it's hard to see all the blessings when you hold the two or three things that are going wrong in your life directly in front of your eyes so that they are all you can see. Step back, take a look around you, count your blessings, write them down, and you will soon see that LIFE IS WONDERFUL! This is an excellent cure! But what is the source of the problem?

For me, one of the easiest ways I fall into the trap of "burdendom" is by viewing my life through the lens called "I HAVE to be perfect." Man, no wonder I get exhausted when I try to live like this, since being perfect is impossible! Seriously, I need a new perspective. I've come to realize that our motivation for doing things is just as important as the result of our actions, if not more important. So why do I really get up every morning and do the things I do everyday? To be honest, for a majority of my life my motivation has been either because I know it is right, or because I feel like I have to. Though those aren't the most terrible reasons, I can think of much better ones.

The best reason for living my life the way I do should be because I love the Lord. I do love the Lord very much, but when I get so caught up in doing all the little things perfectly, it is easy to get discouraged and then forget about the role of the Savior in my life. I don't believe this is the way the Lord wants us to live. After all, we "are that we may have joy" (2 Nephi 2: 25). So what is a better approach? How about waking up every morning, looking in the mirror, and saying, "Today I am not going to do anything because I have to, but I will do it because I love the Lord." Then, when you come to a point when you have to make a decision, it becomes a joy rather than a burden. For example, should I continue school or drop out? Well, usually I would think that I can't quit school because I HAVE to graduate and get a degree. However, if I'm living my life the Lord's way because I love Him, I instead think that I should finish school because I know it's what the Lord wants me to do, and I have faith that He knows what is best. Then everyday in class, doing homework, or taking exams, I can think about the Lord and find joy in doing His will. Wow! I just turned a burden into an uplifting faithful experience.

Obviously this change of perspective is important because it can greatly increase our happiness in this life, and maybe even in the life to come. Another reason I think it is so important is that it will make a difference in the legacy we leave behind us. Our motivation is the mortar that holds together the bricks of the legacy we are building everyday of our lives. People watching us can tell why we do what we do. We are a much better example for others when we live our lives out of love. Others can tell when the smile on our lips is sincere, and they can tell when we are serving them because we truly love them and the Lord. Not that what others think of us is super important, but if we want to make any sort of difference that matters in this world, we have to have the right motivation. Otherwise, be leave a behind a taint that nearly ruins anything we may have accomplished, and our building of legacy may end up toppling over.

I know most of you who are reading this probably already understood everything I've written about so far, but for the few out there like me who struggle with perfectionism and "burdendom," I hope what I have discovered is helpful to you.

-Kamie and Nate