Stand Close Together and Lift Where you Stand

The theme for this weeks blog is "Stand Close Together and Lift Where You Stand". Even though this talk was given in the Priesthood session of General Conference, I love it and feel it is very applicable to everyone. By helping each other out, hard tasks become easier. We become united as one, and a bond is built that cannot be broken. I really feel like this can be applied to every group that we are a part of; a family, roommates, classmates, church-friends, fhe groups...the list could go on.

Tom Holmoe talked about how, if we tell people about our goals, we will be more likely to achieve them. I think this applies to the title of this blog because when others are aware of our struggles/goals/motives, they will likely help us out. Sometimes when we are trying to accomplish a rather lofty goal, it can be discouraging when you don't always see results. I have found that when you have someone rooting you on and being your cheerleader, it becomes easier. Another reason why it is important to tell people about your goals is because it makes you feel more accountable, and more likely to keep the goals. I currently have a goal to run a 5K in May. I was never much of a runner before the past 6 months, but I am determined to do this. After hearing Brother Holmoe's talk, I decided that I needed to tell people about my goal. So I started a blog, where I have been tracking my progress. It has really helped me to stay on track and work towards my goal.

Brother Holmoe talked about the two kinds of people; the firelighters and the firefighters. After hearing the description, it made me think about what type of person I was. Am I someone that supports others, no matter what, or do I rain on peoples parades and discourage them in their endeavors? As much as I hate to admit it, there are times when I am a firefighter. However, I do think that for the most part, I am a firelighter. I think that most people are that way. Sometimes it is hard to always be supportive, especially if you aren't feeling too motivated or confident yourself. I have found that the more you encourage others, the better you feel. I have made it my personal goal to be come more of a firelighter, and not a firefighter.

Finally, I really enjoyed Brother Holmoe's lecture on the "Five Stages of Relationships". I feel like there are people in my life that I can put under all of those categories. I am grateful to say that there are people that I consider to have a "significant" relationship with. I don't think it's bad to have "surface" relationships though either. It's important to have different sorts of relationships with many different people.