Free to Choose Happiness

This post, is going to come before I get my Project Bled post up, but I still want to share some thoughts and commit myself to the habit. This week, I reached a breaking point of some sorts. Going through a move again was an unwelcome period of transition, and as rough as the week seemed to be in pushing me to my limits, the restful weekend that followed was totally worth the struggle. Lately, I've thought a lot about the new trajectory of my life.

With Edelman now a central focus and PRSSA much in the background and lot's of new and wonderful friendships (Stable, consistent, local), the melody is a lot more steady and consistent than the crazed nuance of travel and adventure that occurred during my first half of 2018.

One tool, I've begun to use, is what I call "the Andrew scorecard." After realizing that my journal entries were mostly a re-hashing of the day's events, an expanded calendar with regurgitated to-do's, I felt the need to stretch myself further. Also, as I am embarking on a new stage of life, the balancing factors at work push me in new directions and I want to be aware of this.

So, here's how the scorecard works:

At the end of each day, I want to ask myself 3 questions, and within the pages of my journal, fill them with simple and concise evaluations/answers.

Question #1 

What did I learn today? 

This has always been one of my favorite questions to ask of friends, and it brings me satisfaction to recognize the new knowledge I gain through experiences. I want to place an emphasis on Deep Learning, big lessons, as well as the simple pleasures along the way. This can mean things about myself, things about life, skills or abilities - so long as it helps me become a more intelligent human.

How did I grow today? 

One takeaway lesson from my study of the scriptures this week was that no matter where we are or what we are doing, there is always an attribute of Jesus Christ that we can be developing. These attributes of patience, faith, diligence, charity, empathy, humility and so many others are spiritual gifts that God wants each of us to develop. As I confront my weaknesses and seek to be better, I want to be cognizant of the progress I make and the areas I am growing the most.

Who did I serve today?

My aspiration, is to someday have a day where the name of everyone I interact with during a day, makes it onto this list. Right now, this has been especially difficult at work, and I want to find a way to be a better co-worker and employee. I also have a great opportunity within the Elders Quorum and our YSA ward to serve in a much larger capacity than I would normally have anticipated. Overall, this is the area I am most excited to measure and where I hope to see the most progress.


I'm considering making a few posts more regularly to evaluate these 3 questions, and may feature elements of my scorecard as I develop a stronger habit. Here's to more learning, growth and service than ever before!