Your Best is Good Enough

This past Saturday I attended our Stake Women's Conference.  I really enjoyed being able to go and attend several classes that were spiritually uplifting.  The last class I attended was called "Your Best is Good Enough."  I took away several key points from that class.  So often, I put forth my best efforts, but I then say things like, "yeah, it's okay, but it could have been better."  The funny thing is, though, that if someone else puts forth the same effort with the same results, I'd compliment them, praise them, and be happy for them.  So why don't I do that for myself all the time?

The sister who taught the class made a good point that at the end of the day, we should kneel in prayer and ask our Father in Heaven if our efforts that day were acceptable to Him.  If our Father has no qualms and is pleased with our best efforts, who am I to downplay, and even criticize, them?  Of course there will be days when I will feel a little guilty about my efforts, and that's okay!  We are not supposed to be perfect now...just headed in the right direction.

Of course, we're also not supposed to settle for mediocrity.  It is too easy to become complacent and take the easy route.  In fact, I've felt recently that I've settled into complacency.  It is so easy to just make excuses.  "I want to exercise BUT the kids are underfoot."  "I want to make good dinners while Brandon's out of town BUT the kids can be picky eaters, so what's the point in putting forth that much effort?"  "I want to play/teach/read to my kids BUT my house needs to be cleaned right now."  The instructor suggested that we turns all of these big BUTs into smaller buts by reversing our sentences and creating a solution.  Instead I need to say things like, "my kids are underfoot, but I want to exercise, so I'll take some time to run around with them, take them on a walk, etc."  Or, "I need to clean my house, but I want to spend time with my kids, so I'll enlist their help and make a game of it or wait until they are asleep."  Or, "My kids are picky eaters at times, but I want tasty, healthy meals, so I will simplify my meals so that I won't feel bad if my kids don't like them, and I will make sure to serve some of their favorite sides (applesauce, carrots) so that they won't go hungry!"

So, these are just a few of the thoughts I came away with that day.  I'm not sure if I experienced anything earth-shattering, but I do feel like I will be changing my life for the better for having been there.