Vulnerability

This week in my Eternal Families class, talked about vulnerability. We listened to a Ted talk by Brene Brown that illustrated the importance of vulnerability in our lives. Vulnerability leads to us having deeper connections with our fellow beings and, therefore, leads to increased happiness. I found this very interesting personally because I would say that I am not the most vulnerable, open person in the world. I am fairly shy and so, it usually takes a couple months for me to completely be myself around other people. However, once I do get to know someone, I am very open with them and willing to share basically any thought that pops into my head. So, when I heard this talk, it made me think that maybe there are different types of vulnerability. I'm not so good at vulnerability with strangers, but I am good at being vulnerable with friends and family. I found that encouraging because, I feel like it allows me to have deep connections with people even when my nature is so against initial vulnerability. Thus, I decided that there is hope for all of us. If we are not vulnerable, it just takes practice and pushing ourselves a little out of our shells one piece at a time. I truly think that everyone can experience the close connections that come from vulnerability, even if right now it appears to be outside of your nature.

Self-reflecting without self-loathing

In the readings for my eternal families class this week, a particular quote stood out to me. It is by Thomas Carlyle and says, "The greatest of faults is to be conscious of none." To me, this is a very fine line that we must tread, because if we are overly conscious of our own faults, we will fall into anxiety and hopelessness, but if we are not conscious at all of our faults we will never improve as people. This quote was used in the context of having a healthy marital relationship. Many times, we fall into the trap of blaming others for our problems when, in reality, us taking ownership of them would allow us to overcome these problems. I think that to have healthy relationships, we need to find a place between these two extremes. We need to recognize our own faults and strive to improve them but also acknowledge that no one is perfect and not get too down on ourselves. I suppose we need to learn to see ourselves the way that Christ sees us.

General Conference

This past Saturday in Conference, I heard a talk by Elder Cornish which I loved. The main message of his talk was that we are good enough. We can do it. He said, "All the Lord expects of us is to try, but you have to really try." I love this quote because sometimes, I sure feel like there's no way I will live up to God's expectations of me. I feel like I am constantly making mistakes and failing. I can never seem to do all the things that He asks of me. But, I sure do try and our effort is what is important to God. He can see where our heart is. He knows our true desires. If we are truly trying then we are succeeding, we don't need to feel guilty or inadequate if we are doing our best.