This is the code that I try to live by. These are the principles that I have learned and that I am still learning. This is aspirational and I am not perfect. I continue to modify this based on lessons learned through my journey. The first part defines my destiny, and the rest defines the skills that God has taught me to cope with the chaos.

Love God. Love People.

I am a beloved Son of my Heavenly Father with a divine nature and eternal destiny. He loves me and only wants the best for me. All things work together for my good[1]. “Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, forever.[2]”

Remember (Genesis 28:15):

• I am with you.
• I will keep you safe.
• I will bring you home again.
• I will not leave you.
• I will keep my promise to you[3].

I let God prevail in my life. The thing that I fear, He has already prepared the delivery or will give me the peace, strength, or compensatory blessings to deal with it. Just take the next step. This is brave trust.

Remember …

• Don’t be so hard on myself.
• Take full accountability. Don’t make excuses. Don’t be a victim.
• Stop complaining. Look for solutions. Use the tool of one-three-one; if you have one problem, look for three solutions, and pick the best one.
• Don’t be afraid of failure. Success is 99% failure. “Little by little a little becomes a lot[4].”  

I am improving the four pillars of my life every day: physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental.

I am living by my core values: faith, courage, authenticity, honesty, humility, work, discipline, standards, excellence & integrity.

I am making it better, not wishing it were easier. I am developing more skills, not praying for less problems. I am praying for more wisdom, not wishing for less challenges[5].

I am feeding the courage wolf. I am remaining cool under fire, I am winning in my mind every morning, and I am allowing my mind to show me the hidden opportunities when things go wrong. My tools to do this are …

• MEDITATION … deep breathing (awareness), gratitude (where has God shown up), forgiveness (letting go), daily to-do/goals, prayer.
• PBOODA … pause, breathe, observe, orient, decide, act[6].

Finally, Christ is ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS the answer. Life can be hard; it can be a journey in the wilderness. But Christ is security in insecurity, calm in the storm, beauty for ashes, forgiveness, courage, faith, peace, love, and grace. Look to Christ. Doubt not, fear not[7]. Be still and know I am God[8].

Love God. Love People.

[1] Romans 8:28
[2] Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk entitled, “Tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”
[3] Genesis 28:15. Emily Belle Freeman calls this the 5-finger promise.
[4] I don’t know who first invented this quote. I first heard it from Sean Croxton and The Quote of the Day Podcast.
[5] Jim Rohn
[6] I heard this skill from Mark Divine, past Navy Seal commander and CEO of The Unbeatable Mind.
[7] Doctrine & Covenants 6:36.
[8] Psalm 46:10.