Tuesday, June 12, 2018

5 Simple Steps


Last week our Prophet (RMN), President Nelson, spoke to the youth
(parents and leaders, too) of the Church and invited them to do
 five things that will help them know who they are and
what their plan and role is on earth:
*Hold a seven-day fast from social media.
*Make a weekly sacrifice of time to the Lord for three weeks.
*Keep on the covenant path. If you are off, repent and get back on the path.
*Pray daily that all of God's children might receive the 
blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
*Stand out. Be different. Be a light. 
Give a friend one copy of the booklet For the Strength of Youth.
So we as a family decided to each pick a social media outlet that
sucks us away from the real world and limits our time of
face-to-face conversation, or disengaging from family,
friends, and people!
I decided to take a 7 day fast from Instagram.
It's incredible how much I check it when I
have a free moment, downtime, or waiting in the car.
At the end of the 7-day fast, Mr. Nielson and I discussed with
the Little Nies what they noticed
and how they felt away from their phones.

 Here is what they said:

Claire: "I deleted my IG account about a year ago, but I fasted from 
Pinterest and noticed I stopped wasting time looking at things
that didn't make me feel good about myself".
* * * * *
Jane: "At first, it was hard because I always checked in 
with friends- especially since moving,
but I read that the average person is on their phone 3 hours a day.  
That is almost a full day a week!  
I didn't really miss it except looking up recipes."
* * * * * 
Oliver: " I was more aware of others around me.  I found myself
thinking about other people more-- like you, Mom!".
* * * * *
Mr. Nielson said: "One of the things I have recognized was that a lot has
happened in the 7 days I didn't go on social media, and yet, 
I survived."
(Nicholas and Lottie don't have social media).
And I noticed some people on Instagram that I truly
deeply missed.  For example:
I missed photos of my nephew leaving for the Dominican Republic
on his mission, and my sister Lucy's baby Sally turn one!
I missed catching up and seeing what my family and some
friends were doing.  I m sed feeling uplifted and spiritually
enlightened by some people in my feed that I follow.
On the flip side, I noticed that I was following people who did not
make me feel good about myself, my family, my choices,
who I am, and what I believe.
I noticed a lot of my time and effort was given to people and lives
which are unrealistic.
I felt like I could never be good enough, rich enough, smart enough,
happy enough, skinny enough, cute enough, 
clever enough, or creative enough.

So, I simply unfollowed.

This fast was cleansing and will help me make better
choices as I move forward.
"My first invitation to you today is to disengage from 
a constant reliance on social media by holding a seven-day
 fast from social media. I acknowledge that there are positives about social media.
 But if you are paying more attention to feeds from social media
 than you are to the whisperings of the Spirit, then you are putting 
yourself at spiritual risk—as well as the risk of experiencing intense
 loneliness and depression. You and I both know youth who have been
 influenced through social media to do and say things that they
 never would do or say in person. Bullying is one example.
Another downside of social media is that it creates a false reality.
 Everyone posts their most fun, adventurous, and exciting pictures, 
which create the erroneous impression
 that everyone except you is leading a fun, adventurous, and exciting life. 
Much of what appears in your social media feeds is distorted,
 if not fake. So give yourself a seven-day break from fake!

Choose seven consecutive days and go for it! See  f you notice any
 difference in how you feel and what you think, 
and even how you think, during those seven days. 
After seven days, notice if there are some things you want to stop 
doing and some things you now want to start doing."


My family and I are excited to actively tackle all of the Prophet's invitations.



Home update:
We have been to Costco 5 times, Target 2 times, and furniture stores all over.
This is what my home looks like:
When we sold Fox Hill, we sold it with most of the furniture, so we are starting over,
which is fun, but starting over means we are living
without furniture, which is inconvenient.
The Little Nies have been amazingly flexible with us as we transition.
We ordered some furniture which will be delivered after 2-4 weeks.
Oh boy.  I have seen an obvious pattern here for my family- PATIENCE.
We are learning and growing with each new day here.

We made a family goal to talk to everyone we meet
wherever we are and wherever we go
because we know it will make us happy as we
try and find our place here in the Tar Heel State.






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