Selflessness... so what? now what?

Today I started reading a new book my sister in law recommended to me. It is about a society with 5 different factions. Within each faction is a specific and certain way you must live your life. One of the factions values selflessness and its whole purpose is about being selfless. It is an odd type of a story but it really got my mind thinking. The character in the book only would think of others... and he took it to an extreme. I really loved that idea and I decided that I wanted to try and be as selfless as I can. Being selfless makes you stop thinking of yourself and forces you to look outward and serve others. Anytime I serve others I am always a happier person and I feel more accomplished.

So what? I am going to try and never be a selfish person. It isn't a good trait and I know if I look outward and serve I will be happier.

Now what? I am going to wake up each morning and recite to myself how I am going to be selfless. Throughout the day I will need to remind myself to not think about myself, how I look, who smiled at me, etc. I will think about how others feel and how I can help in any way. I think it will bring me greater joy to my life.

Physical Exercise

My family is pretty athletic and we all grew up playing sports. I was physically active from a very young age and was all throughout high school. Once I came to BYU my freshman year, I stopped playing basketball and I rarely went to the gym. I got completely out of shape. I have had some productive summers attending the gym since then, but overall I am always staying inside and never getting physical exercise.  Many counselors I have talked to in the past have always stressed the importance of physical exercise. On top of it already being healthy for my physical body, it benefits our emotional health more than anyone realizes. It stimulates endorphins in our brain and we become more happy and uplifted.

So what? I have realized I am not as happy as I used to be and I think it could be my lack of physical exercise. I want to keep my body and emotional health at it's best, so I need to work out more.

Now what? I am going to start going back to 24 hour fitness again. My pass goes on for another year so I need to take advantage of that opportunity. I am going to start out going 3 times a week for an hour... then  to 5 days. I think by making a plan and a schedule it will keep me on top of my goal.

Reptiles

My whole life I have always loved reptiles. My dad is a veterinarian and growing up we had a garage filled with cages of animals. There were snakes, lizards, turtles, alligators, geckos and frogs. I loved it all! When I was in high school my dad starting getting rid of all of our animals because of the time and maintenance needed to care for them all. Since then, I haven't really thought much about those memories until about a year ago. I started to realize how much I loved reptiles. I developed a great love for it all, and my dad and I started to collect more animals. I have just recently gotten a new snake and every single day I see it, it brings back joyous memories from my childhood.
So what? I have realized the love I have for reptiles and the joy it brings into my life. I want to be able to be involved in something I love and finding reptiles and snakes as a hobby is something I am so excited about. I want to eventually breed snakes and have a business dealing with that.
Now what? I need to start looking into a job that will prepare me and give me opportunity to find what I want. I will start getting more snakes and cages to start up my collection of animals I once had as a child.

My Family

This weekend I was able to come and visit my family in California. I have had such a great time being here and It really made me realize how much I love and appreciate my family. I have always taken advantage of my family and having them be there for me. I found myself so happy all weekend. I know this is because I am with my family.
So what?
I am going to never take my family for granted ever again.
Now what?
I am going to go out of my way to call or text my siblings and parents as often as I can. I am going to make them a priority over other things in my life. I know I will be happier because of this.

Are you having a bad day??

If I am having a bad day, I alway seem to find the worst in every possible situation. Everything seems annoying, people bother me, class is never fun, and the day goes by so slow. This past week I realized how much I enjoy being smiled at. Numerous times, I found myself dripping in sweat as I walked to class. However, I crossed paths with multiple students who gave me a cheerful and kind smile.

So what?
I found that every time it instantly gave me a happier feeling and my thoughts would begin to be more positive. That little smile would give my spirits a little boost. When someone shows a little friendly cheer, it can really turn my day around.

Now what?
I am going to go out of my way to stay happy and smile at people as I pass by them because you never know who might be having a bad day!!

So what? Now what?

This week I finally got all of my classes and schedule figured out. I enrolled last minute in this fall semester and it has been a complete disaster. I don't think I will ever make that mistake again. I couldn't find any available classes that I needed and I definitely was very stressed out. However, I ended up getting classes that fit my schedule fine and also filled the requirements of my new chosen major.  For the past two years I have been stressing out big time over what major I should choose and what I should go into. I decided I love sports and I like kids so teaching P.E. is something I would thoroughly enjoy. That is how I decided.

So what? I am going to stay very dedicated this semester and get good grades because this education is going towards something I am finally excited about. My major: teaching/coaching P.E.
Now what? I will need to go to class every period in order to stay caught up and on top of things. I need to study in the library and put forth a lot of time in school rather than other fun things. This will eventually reward me in the end because I got these required classes and I will perform well in them all.