ODORPAL: More Than A Funny Name

Last week I went to a missionary meeting where I learned so much that it took up around 15 pages in my journal. Tons of good stuff! One thing I want to talk about that I learned is goals.

This was not my first time learning about goals. In fact, I'm pretty sure all of us have learned about goals and how to set them on numerous occasions. The start of a new year is usually a popular time for people to talk about goals. Personally, I'm a big fan of goals. Didn't use to be, but I've seen how they've helped me to accomplish so much in my life and how they keep me striving to do better. Goals are a wonderful thing! Goals can also be an overwhelming thing. Where do we start? How do we set a goal? How do we accomplish a goal? I mean, how many times in your life have you set a goal that goes unaccomplished? If you're like me, then it's probably a billion times. With that in mind setting goals can kind of seem discouraging. I mean, why would we make a goal if we're going to fail? Well first off, that's the wrong attitude to have! So get rid of it and just humor me for a bit.

Let's talk about ODORPAL. Aside from having a funny name, it's a great model for setting goals. President Anderson of my mission might even say that these are the "seven absolute steps to setting a goal."

Outcome: know your outcome and what you're expecting to achieve
Date: put a date you will accomplish your goal by
Obstacles: know the obstacles you will run into as you work toward your goals
Resources: find the resources that can help you achieve your goal
Plan: make an incredible plan to achieve your goal
Action: take massive action
Leverage: this is the "why" behind your goal

Now, this is just the basic model. I will work on breaking it down in later posts. Why? Because goals are that important! In fact, I dare say that we can make no effective, lasting change our lives if we do not set goals. So get ready to set some goals and make some changes! And always remember, everyday is a second chance (something I will elaborate upon in a later post). God will always give us second chances, so let's take them and make some changes in our lives!

Becoming

Let me tell you a little story. Once upon a time there was this girl who decided to serve a mission. She was called to the Washington Vancouver Mission and away she went to serve the Lord for 18 months. When she got to Vancouver they told her that her mission was a mission that was using Facebook to spread the gospel to all around the world. She was in shock because this wasn't a standard thing for the time. She contemplated how she could possibly use Facebook to spread the gospel and fulfill her purpose as a missionary. Then she heard that not only could they use Facebook, but they could also keep a blog while on their mission. Excited this sister missionary began her journey in the blogging world. A little over a year later and she realized that even though her posts were good they could be better. Every time she opened her blog she pondered and thought about what in the world she could write about. Then, it came to her.

Spoiler alert, that girl in the story is me. I've tried my hand at blogging many, many times. Trying to make it beneficial for me, but also something other people could read and possibly enjoy. And you know what, I've really struggled. Because let's face it, I'm no celebrity and the things that happen in my life aren't earth shattering. But being the writer that I am, for some reason I just can't give up blogging. Every time I drop it I always have this desire to pick it back up and try again. Even on my mission, I feel like I need to pick up this little blog of mine and try again. So try I will.

An idea came to me about a week or so ago as I was thinking about what I could possibly write about and share on my blog. I thought about sharing experiences from my mission, but I wasn't really feeling it (and honestly, y'all can read about those in my weekly emails). Then I thought maybe I could just do random, uplifting posts. The problem with that idea is that it's random and inconsistent, and I felt as if my blog needed consistency. Finally, the idea came to me to create a theme for my blog (aside from being a missionary's blog). That really got me thinking. A theme. What theme could I write about for six months? I've come to the conclusion that I want to share my story, my experience on a mission and the lesson I've learned. You learn a lot about yourself while you serve the Lord for 18 months, but I've noticed a theme in my lessons. Changing myself and becoming my full potential. Simple, right? Everyday I feel like God is giving different ways of learning this lesson and each day I get a little better at it. I'm not perfect, but I'm learning.

That is the message I want to share with everyone, that we can change and become the potential God sees in us. It's not easy and it takes work, but in the end what we become is far worth the price we pay. I now have purpose for writing and I'm excited! I'm excited to share my experiences, but also learn more in the process. I'm also excited to be able to refer to a scripture that has become very precious to me in the past year, Ether 12:27. This is where I feel God leading me. I know that He sees all that I can become and He believes in me. Christ made it possible for me to overcome any weaknesses and live up to that potential. If I have faith, and I show that faith by word and deed, I will be able to overcome and become.