May 6, 2016 - Class #15

Congrats to our Hall of Famers!  You can still keep going.  We will still give out 28 day awards at the Banquet on May 20!  

Ponder on how these principles have made your life better.  Continue living these habits you have developed!  We have nine 28 day awards that you are welcome to earn throughout the summer. Contact Sister Christensen if you want to get the awards!  

You are amazing, powerful youth who have much to offer the world! 

April 29, 2016 - Class #14

Way to go on many getting 28 days again!  We didn't have time to give out all the awards, but we did update the Hall of Fame!

We had an amazing "Flash Service" simulation today!  Each group of 4-6 kids got some cash and someone to drive them and went out to serve.  Everyone LOVED this activity and it was so fun to hear what everyone did at the end. Some of the services performed:

Gave out flowers brighten other's days
Wrote nice notes on post-its and gave them out with chocolate
Paid for people's food at fast food places
Got a hug from an elderly woman
Purchased food for homeless person
Purchased food for refugees
Purchased oranges for a friend
Got offer to go on a date with a lady's daughter
Purchased shoes for Ecuador earthquake donations
Donated extra money to Ecuador earthquake fund
Put change in a tip jar - without purchasing anything
Anonymously left money for someone
Prayed for inspiration and got some!

One of the most touching stories was of the boys who gave a flower and smiles to a lady.  The lady said thank, but a few minutes later returned to thank the boys.  She said she wanted to tell them how much she had needed that on this day.  Because you see, she was feeling very down because just a day earlier, her husband had passed away.

Everyone felt SO good serving and definitely wanted to do this activity again.  And you can!  You have great hearts with good desires.  As you listen to promptings of kindness, you can do this every day!

April 22, 2016 - Class #13

We are SO proud of you for becoming the people you are meant to be!  We had quite a few get 28 days again today. Check out the HALL OF FAME! 

Your challenge:  No matter how many 28 days you've already gotten, get one more set of 28 days before the end of MAY! (If you're really up to the challenge, do it by the banquet in 28 days from now.) 

Life’s Lessons are Heavenly Father’s accredited courses for celestial glory. As we are able to focus on what He’s trying to teach us and not limit ourselves by our current understanding based on past experiences, assumptions, fear and worry .. then this is when we can truly begin to create for ourselves, with Heavenly Father the outcomes that will help us to reach our fullest potential. 

This is a skill. This skill takes practice and time. This skill also has patterns. As we come to recognize the patterns, make connections of them in our own lives, and use eternal truths to govern our choices. Then  we are living, not just existing. 

Many people live most of their lives existing. Feeling like life is happening to them. They have no power to change or create what they want. 

Today start living, believing, seeing life as it really is .. and that is coming to know yourself, your divinity, your power, and your worth through Heavenly Father’s plan of eternal happiness. Then with this knowledge create, fulfill your life mission and become all that you're meant to be.  

We had a wonderful book discussion about “The Other Side of Heaven.”  If you haven’t finished it (or started it) - it is HIGHLY recommended!  I love this book the Other Side of Heaven because Brother Groberg shares intimate experiences in detail of how he came to know Heavenly Father loves him. is mindful of him and in the end, no matter how hard, scary, painful, embarrassing these experiences were after much humility, prayer and obedience these life’s lessons increased his understanding, his testimony which gave him courage to do those hard things. These experiences impacted the rest of his life because they contained eternal truths which equals eternal progression. And this my friends is the purpose of life, eternal progression.

After sharing some stories from the book, students wrote down a spiritual experience of their own.  They didn’t write their names, it was all anonymous.  Then we read several of the experiences to the class. This was such a powerful activity!  There is such GREATNESS in each and everyone one of you, and you do hear and recognize the spirit!  

You can read the experiences here:  SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES.

Heavenly Father loves you.  Your life has meaning and purpose, as we come to understand how He speaks to us, follow those inspirations, see life as an opportunity to learn and grow, not fail or succeed as Satan would have us believe, but with eternal truths & principles, using them as our compass to choose, we will fill the measure of our creation.

April 15, 2016 - Class #12

We had lots of people join the Hall of Fame over spring break.  Good work in not taking a break on your goals!

Congrats to all of you who are "taking charge" of your life.  You wrote your declarations, now say them every day!   If you haven't yet written your personalized declarations, you can still do it!  

Today we talked about creating an AM and PM schedule for yourself.  In the morning, follow a routine of 5 things you'll do every day that will set the tone for your day.  In the evening, follow a routine that will help you shut down your brain so you can have restful, recharging sleep.

Ideas for AM: 
Pray
Scriptures
Exercise 
Listen to talks
Eat Breakfast
Vision Board 
Declarations 
Music 
Dancing 
Journal
Meditation 
Take Vitamins 
Brush your teeth 
Read
Listen to 

Ideas for PM: 
Pray 
Read 
To-Do list - write 5-6 things that are priorities for tomorrow 
Journal 
Take vitamins 
Read  (choose the right kind of book) 
Meditation 
Wash your face
Brush  your teeth 
Exercise 

Brainstorm ideas for your routine on the brainstorm page.  

Once you decide what you want to do, you track it on your weekly tracking card.  There is no one measuring this, you don’t have to get 28 days in a row (unless you choose it to be a goal.)   You are creating brain proof when you check off the boxes, and you are also noticing patterns of what you do well, and what you can improve on.  It’s not to beat yourself up, it’s to help you improve - so you celebrate any successes you get.  

In the "I AM" section, write a word that describes who you are.  You may decide to write a different word of the week, or keep the same one.  Print out extra cards so you have plenty.  
Create a new AM/PM routine card every Sunday night.  You’ll want to adjust as needed.  Maybe you find you aren’t ready to add a new routine, so either replace it or reduce it.  For example, maybe you say you’re going to read scriptures for 30 minutes, but you aren’t even in the habit of doing it yet.  Just do 5 minutes.  You may find that you really don’t need to put “Brush my teeth” on it because you’ve done it for 10 years and it is a habit.  (I do however, always put prayer on it.)  But sometimes you want to put things that are a little easier on it to start building that accomplishment energy. 

Our brains LOVE consistency.  So what are we consistent in?  Create consistency in the right actions on purpose!  As your brain sees you having consistency it creates discipline it builds your confidence, it gives you power.  It supports you in your transformation to become the person you were meant to be.  

HOMEWORK: 
FINISH The Other Side of Heaven for class discussion next week!  

Write your declarations.  Who will be the brave souls to share?  

How is your vision board coming along?  

AM/PM Routine 

WIN & PWR goals! 

March 25, 2016 - Class #11

Are you still moving on your 28 days?  Don't slow down now!  We have a lot of people still going, and some who have gotten their first 28 days.  They didn't give up and neither should you!  Check it out in the Hall of Fame.

Do you picture yourself as a hero?  Since you create your self-image, create a really good image in your head of who you are.    You are someone who listens to the call to action and then you act.  You are good, you are powerful, you love people.  You have greatness inside and you act in alignment with your values.  You accept yourself as you are, and  you accept others.

Do you apply the hero cycle in your own life?   This occurs daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and in our whole life.  When you see this pattern in your life, it makes it much easier!

HERO CYCLE:

1. Ordinary - you start with an ordinary person, unaware he has great power to make a change.  

2.There is a call to action.  Something changes, and the hero realizes that he has a choice to make.  The action involves doing something hard, that will change him and help others.

3.  Refusal - The hero feels fear.  He doesn’t feel like he can accomplish the task at hand.
If our hero stays in this space, he isn’t a hero.  If Bilbo Baggins stayed home to eat soup, the Hobbit would be an incredibly boring story.  Yet he does have that adventurous side of his family!

4.  Commitment - The hero leaves the comfort zone and dives into the adventure.

5. The journey - the hero finds a mentor or mentors - someone who has been there before, who believes in the hero and helps the hero find the answers he needs.  Along the way, the hero hits roadblocks in the form of temptations, tests and traps.  He also finds allies in other people who have similar calls to action who can help him overcome.

6.  Major challenge - near the end of the journey, the hero faces his greatest fear, or even death.  The hero wants to give up, it looks impossible to complete the mission.  But success is just around the corner.

7.  The reward - the hero is able to push through the challenge and find success.  He has not only changed the world around, but changed himself.

Life Journeys

In class, we created "Books of Awesome" to give our brains proof.  We have great value simply because we are children of God, but a book of awesome gives our brains tangible proof to fight the negative voices in our heads.  

If you missed class, we have a binder and some pages for you.  If you want to print out more pages, (copies of the ones you got, or additional pages), click HERE. 

HOMEWORK: 

(1)  Create your DRIVE statements.   Take CHARGE of your life and create who you are. 

(2)  Keep on WINning and adding PoWeR to your life. 

(3)  Brain book, chapter 9
(4)  Read "The Other Side of Heaven" by April 22. 

Remember, no class April 1 or April 8.  This is a GREAT time to get caught up if you are feeling behind.  Keep up on your goals!  I expect we will give out a lot of awards next time! 

March 18, 2016 - Class #10

Friday in class we had a special guest speaker, Blake Hillesheim, who taught us a VERY important and powerful tool! 

You could call this tool a paragraph of declarations, or as Sister Fletcher calls them, they are D.R.I.V.E. statements.

D.R.I.V.E. stands for:
D - Define "Why are you fighting?" and "What do want for yourself in this life?" This will also help to
R - Remind you why you are fighting, and what is important to you. They remind you who you really are and what you really want in life.  They are
I - Inspired statements that help you boldly state your divine worth and your true potential. These statements are
V - Validating as you honor and claim your self worth. These statements are TRUTH in how Heavenly Father sees you! They are
E - Empowering, understanding that everything we need is readily available for us to win!

As we develop these DRIVE statements and use them daily, we will experience great power! Did you feel the tremendous power that came into the room as Blake boldly shared his DRIVE statements?!?!?!?!!! POWERFUL!!!! 

A special note from Blake to you all:  

I want to thank you all for the opportunity to share how declarations have impacted my life. These DRIVE statements have certainly proved to be a powerful tool in helping me to stay focused on my goals and to not lose sight of my true divine nature.

I was excited to see so many receptive to the message and I wish to review some guidelines in assisting to creating your own DRIVE statements. 

1. Write It Now

In addition to creating them now, this also means to write thoughts as they come to you. Some of my most powerful declarations come at times I'm randomly pondering or struck with an idea. When the Lord blesses you with these inspirations, don't hesitate to write down what you hear then and there. You don't want to risk forgetting it or lose power in the wording of the phrase. In fact I always bring note paper and a pencil with me for such instances and invite all to do the same. 

2. Write Presently

Be sure to write your statements in the present tense. I have found that statements phrased this way, such as 'I am', help inspire to take action greater than phrases such as 'I will'. These statements can be powerful reminders and motivators when trying to change behavior, endure trials, and withstand temptations. You want these statement to be filled with power so that they may reignite your fire of conviction and reaffirm simple truths when you may need it most.

3. Seek Sources of Inspiration

Seek all sorts of inspiration such as prayer, scripture studies, patriarchal blessings, priesthood blessings, conference talks, etc. Again this statement is to be inspired for you; so please take the time to ponder and converse with the Lord that He may help you gain a remembrance of your true divine nature. I've found resources such as the scriptures and patriarchal blessing to be powerful guides in remembering this, and as such I make a multiple references to them in my declarations.

I hope these guidelines prove to be helpful in creating your DRIVE statements. Additionally, I've attached a copy of my current statements (and yes, that means I'm still adding to it).You may use it as a reference and perhaps even give you ideas on how to phrase your statements. Now it is a bit lengthy, but don't let this discourage you. My first set of DRIVE statements were just four sentences long, each composed in one of the four following areas: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well being. The statements grew as I sought and received inspiration, as I was in depths of humility with my weaknesses made clear, and as a result of God's great love and mercy for me. When creating your statements, I would also suggest starting with these four areas and to specifically focus on aspects you wish to change in your life. Then ask the Lord; how do I make these changes possible? As you ponder these out, He will answer you. I know he will. 

Best of luck my friends. Know that you all are truly amazing. :) 

Sincerely,

Blake Hilleshiem

BLAKE'S DRIVE STATEMENTS (you can print them from this link.  You can use this for ideas, just make them your own.) 

Each of you were invited to write your own DRIVE statements. Can you imagine what would happen if each and every one of you actually did this? What would happen if each one of you stood in your home each day and boldly declared your DRIVE statements??? There would be powerful, electric burst billowing out of Utah Valley every day!!!!

We started having you write your DRIVE statements in class on Friday, and we HIGHLY recommend you complete them! These are the prompts you use to start writing your DRIVE statements:

I AM:

I KNOW:

I WANT:

BECAUSE:

If you're not sure what to write in the I AM section, start with writing things in the I WANT section. For example, you can write "I want to be confident" "I want to be intelligent" "I want to be more dependable."  Then, you change those into I AM statements such as "I am confident!" "I am intelligent!" "I am dependable!" 

Yes, you might feel like you might be kinda lying to yourself when you write those down or when you say them, but just remember two very important things.

One is to remember that you are training your subconscious mind to accept new truths, and when you consistently say "I am confident!" guess what? You will find yourself becoming more confident as your heart and soul has more help to become such!  What is familiar to you isn't necessarily truth, and that's one reason it "feels" like you're lying to yourself.  

Secondly, you need to write these statements as if Heavenly Father were sitting right beside you, and writing what He would say about you. To Him, who knows you completely and eternally, yes, He knows who you really are and He would definitely say that you are these things! SO, keep Him in mind as you write these things. Be brave, be bold, and seek guidance from the Spirit and see what awesome DRIVE statements end up on your paper!

HOMEWORK: 
*Chapter 8 in the Brain Book 
*Write your Declarations or DRIVE statements.  Start saying them daily.  This could be a great WIN goal!
*Read The Other Side of Heaven
*PWR and WIN goals! 

March 11, 2016 - Class #9

We still have many of you getting more 28 days!  Check out the Hall of Fame!  If you're not in there yet, you can do this!!  If you're only in there once, give your brain proof that you can keep going and do it again!

Today we talked about managing your energy.  There are basically four areas in which we manage our energy.  We learned about how these areas affected our energy and techniques to use in each area.  If you missed the handouts, they are on the Handouts Page.  

Body
physical energy 
Your body feels physically good when you have this 
Techniques to increase:

• eat good food
• exercise
• shower
• move
• dance
• hugs 
• hygienic care for your body  

Spirit 
purpose energy 
you feel fired up with purpose and passion 
Techniques to increase:  

• good music
• read scriptures
• pray
• small daily actions - 28 day goals 
• service
• listen and obey promptings
• Temple, church
• uplifting people, events 

Mind 
focus energy 
you aren't distracted, you are moving ahead, you think good thoughts 
Techniques to increase focus: 

• Set goals and work towards them 
• Vision board 
• 28 day goals 
• Create a vision of who you want to become 
• Manage your thoughts
• Declarations
• Read good books 
• Inspiring quotes on the wall 
• Good music 

Heart 

Quality of your energy
You feel optimistic and positive.  You notice negative emotions, but you deal with them and choose happiness.  

Techniques to increase quality:   

• Notice it, Name it, Find it, Flip it.
• Prayer 
• Journaling 
• Gratitude 
• Music 

TECHNIQUE:  Notice it, Name it, Find it, Flip it

(1) NOTICE IT - Notice what you are feeling.  Awareness is the first step.  What do you feel physically or physiologically happening in your body?  (tenseness, tightness, etc.)  

(2) NAME IT - Identify what the emotion is.  You are not bad if you have negative emotions.  You just need to recognize it objectively so you can deal with it.  “Oh, I am feeling frustrated now!” These feelings aren’t imaginary, they are legit.  You have good reasons.  But they are signal that something is out of alignment within you.  The mood will build up if you don't do something about it and you'll either dump it on other people, or stuff down in you.  If you dump it, that kills relationships with other people.  If you stuff it down, it's still there and will come out in some other way that you don't like.  Allow yourself to feel it, but don't let it stay.    

(3) FLIP IT - what is the opposite emotion?  Choose that mood to go into.  You can select several new emotions to have.  Say it to yourself in a present tense statement "I am happy!  I am positive!  I choose optimism!  If you ignore the feeling, it doesn’t go away.  

(4) FIND IT - Find the feeling inside of yourself.   Repeat the statements in #3 until you feel it, or maybe you need to say your declarations or meditate.

Happiness is a CHOICE you make.  

Journaling Technique   

We ALL experience negative emotions.  When you are experience a negative emotion you can try this technique as well.  Get a cheap notebook (NOT your power journal, because you will be destroying what you write.)  If you notice you are feeling annoyed, frustrated, or some other negative feeling, identify the feeling and then write at the top of a blank page:  "I am feeling frustrated because..."   Then write everything that comes to your mind.  Don't hold back!  You don't even have to write neatly or on the lines!  Just let it all come out.  Let all that meanness and negativity out.  This is safe, no one will see it and it won't be dumped on anyone else.  When you've finished venting, just take that paper and crumple it up into a ball.

You can now destroy it either by shredding it up and throwing it in the garbage or burning it (get parent permission first!).  While you destroy it, picture yourself handing it to the Savior and asking him to take it.  You can even say out loud, "I am letting this go, can you take it for me?"  Apologize to him and then ask for forgiveness.  Apologize to the person you were thinking negatively about and ask for forgiveness.  Apologize to yourself too and ask yourself for forgiveness as well.  He will do this, because that is why he died for us!  This is repentance and how you activate the power of the atonement in your life.  

Once you do this, you may want to write on a new page in your journal (can use the same notebook, or use your power journal for your daily journaling.)  Write asking for forgiveness, and ask what you are to learn from this.  What part did you play in this situation?  How can you do better? Then express GRATITUDE.

This is a very POWERFUL technique.  Try it!  

One thing I have found is that I often have feelings inside I don't even know are there.  So I just regularly journal on different feelings.  Try daily just picking a negative emotion and then writing "I feel disappointed (or other emotion) because..."  and see what comes out.  Follow the method above.  The more you can get the negative out, the more pure your light will become.

Boundin'

HOMEWORK 

(1) Be aware of your feelings.  Try the Notice it, Name it, Flip it, Find it technique when you experience a negative emotion. 

(2) Try the journaling technique 

(3) What other areas can you do better in managing your energy?  Consider those when choosing new 28 days challenges.