A Life of Performance.

Two weeks ago I finished a run of a play, Much Ado About Nothing.  It was amazing and fantastic and I enjoyed myself a lot!

Acting is what I love to do, it's part of me and I've done it since before I can remember. This year is my last year in high school, after this I will move on, go to college, go on a proselyting mission for my church, and whatnot. 

Anyhow, this will be my last year to be in a play for at least three years.  This year there is a large musical being put on and I was DYING to try out. The problem was that I had just been in a play (Much ado) and had been in one last semester and I was (And still am) very very behind in school..

  So I had to make a decision, I had to give up something so that I could catch up in school. So rather than give up acting, which I loved, I decided that I would have to give up the funness of the internet.  So as of right now I have decided a few things: I'm only aloud to use YouTube during classes or via class Modules, I'm not aloud on Facebook except for on Sundays. I can't listen to podcasts on my computer (Though, If I'm exercising and it;s on a mp3 player it's fine) and I can't play any games on my computer.  All of these are in hopes that I'd be able to catch up WHILE being in a play. 

It was interesting because I had to actually go through and decide, what is most important to me. I had to look at what my dream in life is. As Dallin Ward said over in the Williamsburg community,          

"Everyone needs a dream. That is how all great things have been done." (If you have time go read his entire thing, it's good, and then go to Wesleigh Smith's post and read all of those responses, they're beautiful. )  So I looked at my life and decided where I wanted to go.  I found that that path didn't involve wasting days on end on the internet, however fun that may seem to me at the time. MY path to awesome involved me being committed to getting work done and to being free of the distracting influence of the internet. 

This is now the second week I've been doing this and it's fantastic how much has changed.  I've been able to focus on school work and I have started to catch up, it's been great. 

It hasn't been easy.  For instance, there are some days when I don't get very much done because I am simply spending the time fighting the part of me that wants to just quit and go to YouTube and waste away the afternoon. I'm used to being able to just distract myself and I'm used to just having fun.  I believe that the carefree, "Do nothing" mindset is just as much of an addiction as anything else is, and I obviously must have got myself hooked to it. It's just weird, some days I will literally have to argue part of myself that wants to go play, I have to literally convince it that what I'm working on is more important. It's basically my Red/Yellow personality if you're at all familiar with the color code.  I used to be really red, I was focused and I was very leadership oriented and stuff, but then over the years on the internet my yellow personality has taken over and I'm can be very uncommitted and lazy and just like having fun. So basically I'm trying to exercise that redness that I know I have. I'm trying to get back the determination and drive that I used to have.  It's crazy, but it's awesome that I am finally able to sit down and work and get things done. 

So, look at your priorities see what you WANT and then organize you time well.  You will never have more time than you have now, something will always be taking up your time, whether it be school work, other school, children, you will never have more time, you will just have to prioritize. 

So find that path and follow it to the end. The path is straight and narrow, the path is hard and filled with brambles, but in the end, it will be worth it. 

New Years Resolutions

So, I realized what I just did. I just spent the last half an hour reading scriptures, Listening to music, and while doing that I was thinking about this semester. I think I'm ready, but from past experience, unless I write it down and have it exact goals. So I came up with some that I will follow. In other words, for the first time ever, I have made some new years resolutions that I am writing down and will follow without fail.

#1 Read scriptures at 7:30 for at least ten minutes. This is something that I CAN do I will never have classes that early, and I should almost never go anywhere during that time. The only thing I'd be cutting into would be my sleeping time.

#2 Check chickens right before doing scriptures, give them new water, check eggs, the like.

#3 Wear a white shirt and tie to every class and for much of the day while I'm doing school. I've heard and experienced that when you wear different things, it has different effects on you. A white shirt and tie will help me focus, I can take it off when I'm DONE with whatever assignments I need to do on the computer that day.

#4 Pray every morning and night. I have done Scriptures every day without fail for the last year, maybe longer. But I almost never say prayers at morning and night.

#5 Get every single World history assignment done before class. NEVER EVER EVER not do an assignment unless there is nothing I can do.

#6 Follow these things. I will look at them, and I will follow them, It WILL change me, it'll be a huge change. But I need this type of discipline in my life. I am WAY to undisciplined. My Yellow (carefree funloving) personality had recantly compleatly overrun my red (determined strong forceful) personality. But, if I give myself these types of goals, super specific, my super determined personality should take over, and I should soar. So no more of the super determined yet never-follows-through person. I will now, finally, stand and throw off the bonds of laziness.
I'll keep you posted.
~Nathan Owens

Be strong, and of good courage.

*Takes one deep breath*
Alright. Break is over. (yeah, it took me this long for my brain to finally accept that) This is the time to stand and make this the best semester ever. I'm ready to ROCK. I am finally taking the amount of classes that should push me. (seven) I'll be busy and ready. AND AWESOME. I know that I'm saying almost the same thing that I said yesterday... but I'm needing to say it again. I'm going to make this the best time I've ever had. This semester, I've decided, is going to outdo the very first semester I ever had in Wiliamsburg. Yes, that's right, I believe that I can have that again. I. WILL. BE. OUTSTANDING. And it will spread, all emotions spread, if one person smiles, pretty soon everyone will be smiling, if one man is sad, people will join him. Well I a going to be the one to be strong. I am NEVER going to miss an assignment in World History. Yes, that is my goal. I will never miss an assignment because of laziness or negligence on my part. I'm weird, I could have inspirational people or my friends, or my family tell me this day in and out, but I wouldent do it, I'd be like "yeah, yeah... I'll do that... later" but if I make a promise to myself I don't break it. So through me this semester in World history will be AMAZING. I want this to be the best world history class ever, the one where everyone says, "I wish I could have been in THAT class!" With that, I now stand, after a year of negligence and laziness I now stand, and NEVER FALTER.
~Nathan