Comfort Zone

My husband and I teach Sunday School in our ward to the 14 and 15 year olds.  This week the lesson was on setting goals to become more self-reliant.  During the lesson, we talked about goals and how sometimes they can be hard.  I brought up something I saw on Pinterest and  has been on my mind a lot, "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."  This seemed to stick with the teenagers, and I truly believe it was inspiration that the quote has been on my mind so much lately.
My husband pushes me out of my comfort zone a lot, and I could resent him for that, but it helps me grow and I know that is the only way to become more Christlike.  He pushes me to talk to people I would not normally talk to.  He pushes me to try things that I don't want to, and I usually end up liking.  I would like to say that I push him as well, but I am not sure that I do.  I need to be better about that.  A relationship is meant to help us grow, and pushing us out of our comfort zone is one way to do that.
I challenge all of you to set a goal that pushes you out of your comfort zone.  Ask your spouse, or a friend, to help push you, because sometimes it is not something we want to do on our own.  Good luck!

Enjoy life

I know I am not the best blogger, and that whole blog everyday thing was a good idea, but didn't work. I am revising my monthly goals a little... I am reading a new book "The Happiness Code" and have decided I need to focus more on enjoying the moment.  Changing my attitude and enjoying everything I do (even the laundry) is so important in life. The grass is always greener on the other side, but once you get to the other side it is just as green as you make it! So for today, I am agreeing with Sister Hinckley

Days 6 and 7

6.  What band or musician is most important to you...

I would have to say Kalai.  My husband introduced me to his music (which I love) but we also went to lots of his concerts when we were dating. I can't listen to Kalai without thinking of my husband. 

7.  Do you read and what are your favorite books?

I love to read but I also love to teach reading. My personal favorite books are Jodi Piccoult books... Sad but thrilling!  I also love childrens books though. I read several everyday to my class but my favorite author is Chris VanAllsburg.  He has more than just The Polar Express.  His books are full of mystery and great for teaching comprehension and other reading strategies!

Journaling

Happy October! I have decided that September and October are my favorite months. I love the weather and all the fun activities going on- plus I LOVE halloween.  Since my goal this month is to journal, I am going to be doing a 30 day blogging challenge.  I'm a little behind so I'll try and catch up to the 5th day.

1.  Write a little about yourself.  

My name is Ashley Averyt.  I am 25 years old.  I am a first grade teacher and I love my job. I have always wanted to be a teacher and it's amazing living that dream.  I am married to Jeff Averyt, the best husband and friend I could ask for.  I am the oldest of 5 kids, with a big age range- 16 years between me and my youngest sister. 

2.  10 likes and 10 dislikes

Likes

      Books

      Chocolate

      Jeff

      Crafts

      School

      Kids

      TV

      Church

      Family

Dislikes

      Spiders

      Rain

      Loud music

      Going to bed ( but I love sleep)

      Chewy meat

      Snow

      Being sick

      

3.  Your day

Well, I am at my parents house today because Jeff is out of town. (He went to a conference in Philadelphia to accept a scholarship).  We are watching General Conference! It's a great weekend to remember who I am and things I need to work on in my life. 

4.  The meaning behind my blogger name

I think I have already talked about it a lot, but it's because I read a book and am now doing my own happiness project.

5.  5 places I want to visit

Greece

Hawaii

Italy

Spain

Bahamas

      

Joy in the Journey

Finding joy in the journey, or enjoying the moment, has been hard for me lately.  I am constantly worried about the future and what tomorrow brings.  This is something that I want to change.  In the October 2008 General Conference, Pres. Monson gave a talk on this exact topic; Finding Joy in the Journey.  This talk is amazing and has really opened my eyes to certain things I need to do in my life to accept change and find joy in the journey.  

In the talk, President Monson States:

"This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."  

That last line hit me hard. " I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."  That is what I am doing right now, I am planning for that "illusive and nonexistent future" when I will get to do all the things I want to do.  Well, that time is NOW!  If I do not do that things I want to now, and make the changes I need to in my life, I never will. 

He also talks about how we need to remember to always say I love you and give those hugs we often forget.  When those people are gone, we will regret those moments we did not take advantage of in sharing our love.  

"Let us relish as we live it, find joy in the journey and share our love with friends and family.  One day each of us will run out of tomorrows."  

This is my new mantra!  If we do not enjoy the moments now, we never will!  

The last thing he talks about, which is another of my goals later in the year, is gratitude.  Being grateful is very important in learning to find joy in the journey.  If we are not grateful for the things we have, there is no way we can enjoy the here and now.  

I hope to being enjoying the little things in life, and finding joy in the journey- NOW! 

Hope

Through my personal scripture study, I have been studying a lot of things on the topic of happiness and hope. An article from the September Ensign really stood out to me; The Healing Balm Of Hope by Vaughn E Worthen. The article was all about how hope leads to happiness.

"Hope develops in the crucible of experience if the right ingredients are present. Those ingredients include the following: faith in God; righteous living; positive expectations; living with purpose; setting and working toward goals; initiating and sustaining personal effort; bridling thoughts, emotions, and behaviors; a willingness to tackle challenges; and competence in creating healthy relationships. (Sept. 2013 Ensign, The Healing Balm of Hope, By Vaughn E. Worthen)."

These values of hope are huge in developing happiness. There are several of these values that I have been working on in my personal life. Obviously setting and working toward goals; that is what I am doing with this project. The Lord wants us to grow and the only way to do this is to push us and make us grow through things that might make us uncomfortable. 

Another of the values that I have been working on is bridling thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. I am a very emotional person and learning to bridle these is very difficult. The hardest thing is learning to control my anger/irritability. The only thing I have found that works is take a deep breath and say a prayer. These feeling do not come from the Lord and asking for this helps eliminates these feelings. 

Creating healthy relationships is also key. Gretchen Rubin, in her second month, focused on her marriage. One thing she worked on was not expecting praise or appreciation from her husband, then when he did show appreciation for the things she does, she was much happier. If we expect those we love to appreciate what we do, then we take advantage of their appreciation. We need to show appreciation instead of expecting appreciation!

One final thought from the article states: "Research demonstrates that hopeful individuals make healthier lifestyle choices, recover from illness and injury more effectively, and experience increased life expectancies. They manifest less depression and anxiety, find greater purpose in life, and experience improved mental health and increased life satisfaction. They persevere when barriers arise, are more effective problem solvers, and adapt when circumstances warrant it. They are successful in finding benefits from adversity. They enjoy more positive relationships and seek and receive social support. Hopeful students experience enhanced academic success. (Sept. 2013 Ensign, The Healing Balm of Hope, By Vaughn E. Worthen)."

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/09/the-healing-balm-of-hope?lang=eng

Hard Things

This is a motto I use in my classroom all the time. If first graders can do hard things, I can too!