The Foundation of a Great Work

 It is a simple truism that nothing very valuable can come without significant sacrifice and effort and patience on our part."          -Jeffrey R. Holland


Lessons Learned:

"Excellence does not come easily or quickly" is another truism from Elder Holland in his BYU address "However Long and Hard the Road" in January of 1983. I was three years old when he gave this address. 40 years later and these words are exactly what I need to hear to encourage me to keep going. I would say that I have many talents. George Leonard would definitely describe me as a "dabbler." I am a champ at early enthusiasm and even obsessive work in the beginning. However, I putter out and give up. Every. Single. Time.  The list of things I haven't given up on is very short, but probably the most important things ever. I haven't given up on my faith. I haven't given up on my marriage. I haven't given up on my family. And I haven't given up finishing up my bachelor's degree in my forties. I am proud of these things, but there is so much more I want to do with my life.

Lessons Not Yet Learned:

Sacrifice, effort, and patience, says Elder Holland. Three things that I am always in short supply of. I have heard that they can be developed with practice which will require sacrifice, effort, and patience. Like begets like, right? Somehow I need to muster up enough of each to just get started. I don't think I have to begin with enough to finish, but just enough to get started. I have seen it work as I have enrolled in classes the last three years to finish up what I started then abandoned over 20 years ago. At first, a bachelor's degree seemed so far away, but I decided to start chipping away at it. Little by little, a little became a lot. And here I am. I should wrap this degree up next semester. But what's next? Will I start a business? Which business will I start? Will I have what it takes to make it work? Will I give up when it gets too hard? Perhaps this is my greatest fear: do I have what it takes?

I will plaster these words from Elder Holland on my mirror and in my heart, "Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is happiness ahead... It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come."

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