STOP IT.

Lately, I've noticed myself stressing about certain things that I hadn't paid much attention to previously. As I've taken a step back to evaluate my life and where I'm at and where I'm headed something came to my attention. One philosophy I've always tried to remember in my everyday life is to "Live in the world, but not OF the world." Recently I have felt I've kind of gotten caught up in things that weren't necessarily bad, but my reasons for doing them were of worldly gain. I feel like girls for example have a lot of pressure on them about looks and self-esteem (not trying to discredit guys, but I'm a girl so I can more easier relate to my own gender :)) For example... do my clothes reflect the latest style? Am I skinny? Am I attractive? Am I smart? Am I dateable? Am I successful? So many stupid questions run through our minds everyday and although we may realize we over critique ourselves, we are SO hard on us. Always comparing ourselves to others thinking they are better when we don't even realize they may just as well feel the exact same way about us. The phrase, "the grass is always greener on the other side" totally applies in this situation. We want what we don't have and don't always recognize what we do have. So all I can say is STOP IT!! I think of President Uchtdorf's talk when he uses that phrase. I've been trying to be better about reminding myself to stop worrying about how other people portray me and more about how my God sees me. Do I go to the gym and try to eat more healthy so I can look more as the world thinks I should or because I want to live the Word of Wisdom better and take care of my body? Do I work so I can be rich and successful or to learn self-reliance and better my education? Does my dress and appearance reflect how the world thinks should make me attractive or what the Lord feels makes me a strong, confident, and pure woman of God? Are my choices a reflection of how I practice my religion or what the world expects someone of my age to perform? I encourage everyone who may have negative thoughts or who may be discouraged from trying to be "perfect" to STOP IT, recognize those feelings you have are not from God, and look to your Heavenly Father who LOVES you and figure out what is most important and focus on small little steps you can make to better connect with him. Nothing big will change overnight, but if we try to recognize better each day who we are trying to become, it will help us in the long run to be happier and will ENABLE us to do the great things God has in store for each of us.