When my son was little, he had an intense desire to mow lawns. Year after year, we watched his confidence grow as he continued to develop his abilities. Cooper believes he is a true landscaper.
Think of something right now that is one of your acquired abilities or talents. An example might be the capacity to listen to others, the creativity to organize, the skill to interpret complex poetry, the insight to see nature's mathematical equations, or the understanding to decipher the night sky. Remember, no false modesty is allowed, only a humble appreciation for this gift that you've developed; and feel some success in its use.
Do you have one? Now keep that in mind.
Next, think of something you particularly like to do but have yet to achieve total mastery. For example, I absolutely love to garden, or at least I love the idea of it. I don't think much about it until late spring, and then I give it a wholehearted effort for a couple of summer months. As you look at this picture, you may think, "Wow, what a garden! Look at all that green! Look at all that growth!" However, those with gardening awareness may soon realize that much of that green is, unfortunately, weeds. Still, I give it a go. So, what do you like to do but still have some inadequacy or lack of total commitment? Keep this in mind as well.
We've now considered an ability you've developed as well as a work in progress.
Finally, consider something you have always wanted to do but believe you lack the desire, effort, skill, or capacity to learn. For me, this would be cooking. I'll offer this proof: one of my go-to recipes has been passed down one generation and requires little on my part. “Pull it out of the fridge . . . fry it up . . . add cheese.”
I wish I could "eyeball" measurements and know what spices work with different foods. I'm often told to just "flavor to taste," but clearly, I’ve devoted limited effort in developing the necessary palette.
Thus, what is your area of weakness? Don’t worry, you’re just not there—yet.
With these developed and underdeveloped capacities reviewed, let's consider our power and potential to learn and grow.
Perceptions about our abilities often have deep roots whereby we either feel empowered or discouraged. Consider your mastered skill. From where did that drive or competency come? Were your parents, friends, or mentors likewise skilled? Did they share hours of experience, support, or encouragement in this development? Did you begin to value what they valued?
My son loves being outdoors. Like most little boys, he wanted to spend time with his dad and do whatever he did. Thus, he was thrilled to ride along and observe. As he grew, he spent hours practicing his mowing. By the age of seven, it was difficult to keep his enthusiasm contained. Under a watchful eye, he graduated to larger equipment.
These early efforts of mirroring his dad in the use and repair of small engines became his constant play. Santa supported him with the necessary equipment. Mom encouraged him to go outdoors so she could get things accomplished indoors.
Cooper's interest in small engines has propelled him to investigate larger ones. Last winter, he found a job driving tractor while our neighbor, riding the trailer, fed hay.
Cooper didn't begin these experiences with some mystical lawnmowing gene. He was in a specific environment doing what he knew was of value through support and encouragement. While he occasionally struggled with new concepts or made mistakes with the height of the mower or the angle of the weed-eater, he continued to persevere, gain knowledge, refine actions, and ultimately increase understanding.
Similarly, we were all born deeply observant, curious, and with an intense desire to act. We learned how to sit up, crawl, and walk, even if no one was in the room. We learned speech by mimicking words, watching facial features, and asking the consistent "Why?". We explored cupboards, took risks climbing stairs, wondered how far the toilet paper roll would take us down the hallway, and danced and sang with little inhibition. As a university student, a faculty member, a co-worker, a parent, a spouse, are you still deeply observant? Inquisitive? Continuously engaged? Do you seek opportunities to learn?
Now, remember the skill you enjoy but have yet to master? Have you lacked familiarity or experience, support, encouragement, or the opportunity to know and understand?
I have loved the idea of gardening and even dabbled for a few years in a small patch with dependable plants, but this year, with a sizeable plot of my own, I gave it a hearty try. I’d do anything for a pot of creamed peas and potatoes! I learned that my researched design was strong. I discovered, however, that crowded rows of corn won’t reach maturity. I over-planted zucchini and wonder why most experienced gardeners continue making this very same mistake. Finally, I needed a bit more knowledge and effort to master weeds. My gardening expertise is not there—yet.
Despite this lack of knowhow, there is something I can do about it. I have the world at my fingertips. I can study plants and fertilizers, visit nurseries and neighbors’ gardens, or find a YouTube tutorial. I can continue learning through trial and error. I may not have been born with a green thumb, but I have the capacity to be a proficient gardener.
You, too, can increase learning.[1] You have the added advantage of a university experience with endless opportunities to seek answers to the "whys” or “hows" of your inquiries. Elder Mathias Held shared how our physical and spiritual capacities provide two sources of information:
When these two perspectives are then combined in our souls, one complete picture shows the reality of things as they truly are. In fact, through the additional perspective of the Holy Ghost, certain “realities,” as pictured exclusively through our mental understanding, can be exposed as deceiving or plainly wrong. Remember the words of Moroni: “By the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”[2]
Let's reconsider that area of inability, limited competency, or effort. Remember, cooking was my weakness. What was yours?
In the Book of Mormon, Nephi, Enos, and Mosiah were each directed to learn the language of their fathers,[3] which required literacy in reading, writing, and speaking. I wonder if they felt a moment of inadequacy. Any doubt would probably have been fleeting; these men were obedient and trusted the Lord. There would not have been the skepticism voiced by some today: “English isn’t my thing” or “I don’t have the talent for language” or “I can't write.”
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave a similar example for those who might think that creativity is an attribute of a select few. When those doubts creep in, he reminded us to “think again.”[4] Think again as a learner, a student, a teacher.
Lehi, Jacob, and King Benjamin were righteous, patient, and humble. As teachers, they would have looked at their sons—their students—and believed that with God's help, all things are possible.[5] Phrases such as “It's not in the cards for this kid” or “This major is above most students” or “Maybe they should try an easier discipline” would have been inconceivable.
Artist and educator Betty Edwards doesn’t doubt her students’ capacities to learn because she views her discipline as teachable. Edwards declared, “Learning to perceive is the basic skill that students [acquire]. The change you see in their ability to draw possibly reflects an equally significant change in their ability to see.”[6]
Here are the self-portraits of novice participants before and after merely five days of art instruction.[7]
According to psychologist and author Carol Dweck, “just because some people can do something with little or no training, it doesn’t mean that others can’t do it (and sometimes do it even better) with training.”[8]
If we have the potential to be an inheritor of the kingdom of God, how could we lack the ability to have a credible understanding of God’s kingdom? This necessary understanding would include elements of all disciplines: animal science, physics, chemistry, botany, history, art, mathematics, language, and so forth.
Referencing Doctrine and Covenants 88:78–79, President Brigham Young testified that if we follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Apostles and with the assistance of the Holy Ghost, we will “understand things in heaven, things on the earth, and things under the earth, things of time, and things of eternity.”[9]
Luckily, we have an eternity to gain intelligence. We are not there yet, but this earthly existence provides an immense opportunity to get started. Can you imagine an eternity of intelligence if your general understanding ended with high school?
One university advantage includes taking general courses, which provide a solid foundation for life. Instead of merely surviving this coursework, thriving and rejoicing in these diverse studies can propel us not only to a deeper understanding of our major, which President Henry J. Eyring has explained may or may not be a part of our future career, but to other areas of contribution in our lives.[10]
It is naïve to wonder, “When will I ever use this?” The answer for anyone trying to understand creation and the eternities is, of course, “When will you not?”
Misconceptions about ability also find fertile ground in comparisons. While some may feel hopeless or helpless, others might pridefully elevate themselves above or diminish others.[11] Both will similarly miss the opportunity to progress.
A worldview labels and differentiates value. The idea that some abilities should be prized above others is not the view of our Father in Heaven. Stake president or Primary teacher, social worker or engineer, all purposeful contributions are of worth. Elder Boyd K. Packer instructed, “Do not use the word ‘menial’ for any labor that improves the world or the people who live in it.”[12]
At a BYU-Idaho devotional, Elder Ralph N. Christensen encouraged those who struggle:
If you have grown up with friends, parents, husbands, wives, or others who have convinced you that you are worthless, inadequate, or not cut out for all that Father has, this is a lie. I promise you that if Father were here in person, He would not describe us in those terms. He would do all in His power to help you see yourself as He sees you: a son, a daughter, a king, a queen, an inheritor of eternities.[13]
Unfortunately, even with good intentions, damaged perceptions can stem unwittingly from comparisons in the home. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland counseled, "Try not to compare your children, even if you think you are skillful at it. You may say most positively that ‘Susan is pretty, and Sandra is bright,’ but all Susan will remember is that she isn't bright and Sandra that she isn't pretty.”[14]
As an only child, I never had to worry about sibling comparison, but I have taken this instruction to heart with my two children and their capacity to learn. My daughter loves music. With relative ease, she sings on key, keeps a beat with appropriate rhythm, consistently recalls lyrics, and hums endless melodies. She progresses because of natural tendencies, interest, instruction, and effort. My son's musical interests, however, weren’t initially as apparent as his farming interests. It didn’t help that my husband’s and my musical abilities had only included singing or dancing to the radio.
As parents, we have become more appreciative of the vast and divine purposes of music. Someday, I hope to emulate my 70-year-old friend Patty who just began formal singing lessons. Meanwhile, I am learning with my children. We enrolled Cooper and Sayer in a unique music program with an exceptional teacher who believes anyone can gain a basic musical competency.
My husband is also committed. Having never learned hymns in his youth, Ryan dutifully sings them every Sunday. For months, he has pointed to the words in each verse to help reinforce Cooper’s reading through the aid of music. Cooper has also observed numerous young men play special piano numbers and closely watched other adult mentors as they sing in sacrament meeting.
Thanks to positive neighborhood influences, the patience of parents and teachers, and a loving Father in Heaven who promises help in all righteous endeavors, Cooper has developed some foundational skills. Of course, it didn't hurt that one of his first piano renditions was “Good-Bye, Old Paint,” a song about a cowboy leaving his horse behind. Cooper is not there yet, but he is the newest member of our accepting ward choir!
Elder Holland also urged us to “escape our culture's obsession with comparing, competing, and never feeling we are ‘enough.’”[15] In our home, we want both Sayer and Cooper to understand the powerful influences of music and the wonders of agriculture. While they have interests unique to their nature, neither lack capacity to learn. Thus, we play instruments, sing songs, plant gardens, and feed dogs and pot-bellied pigs. If Ryan and I can raise our children to embrace learning opportunities, appreciate challenges, and support each other in the process, we will breathe a great sigh of relief. We are, of course, not there—yet.
A discussion of comparison would not be complete without a few words about the speed of learning. I’m sure most have experienced taking an exam only to have one or more students stand and submit their work as you quickly take inventory of the numerous questions to which you have yet to respond. Take heart; the order in which students finish appears unrelated to test performance.[16]
Consider a young child learning to walk. Some toddlers accomplish this feat at nine months and some at fifteen. It makes no difference; by the age of two, barring some physical limitation, we learn to walk. Similarly, the beginning words of speech develop in a typical range between ten and fifteen months, a five-month difference; yet children learn to speak. We sometimes lose sight of brain basics as we grow. In early adolescence, for example, we often teach algebra in the same year, semester, and month. Those who succeed might falsely pride themselves on ability rather than developmental readiness. Those who struggle can feel incapable and begin to dislike the subject, taking fewer math credits and minimum requirements.[17] Learned helplessness begins to overwhelm any sense of hope; great minds are lost.
In consideration of our mortal progression, Elder Neil A. Maxwell explained that “no one else is placed exactly as we are in our opportune human orbits.”[18] If your education was shortchanged due to a comparative development, start a class later in life, view repeating a class as an opportunity to understand, find a tutor to explain concepts in a different medium, get oriented with a basic textbook that simplifies material for a better view of the “whole game” before diving into the complexity of the elements,[19] and never skip a prerequisite. Your world will not crash with a semester or two of time. Chart a new course by beginning at your current level of competency and, line upon line, walk the path of progression. Remember, you simply are not there—yet.
Beyond comparison, our progression can be further thwarted when we view failure as a sign of incompetence. Change your mindset. Failed attempts rather than quick results are far from any sign of permanent inadequacy. When perceived as “gifts,” these learning opportunities push us to thrive during some of the most challenging times in our lives.[20] Wilbur and Orville Wright “never let a crash set them back.”[21] Jim Lovell, commander of Apollo 13, described his mission as a “successful failure.”[22] Similarly, in the devotional discussion board, Amy Leach testified that her life stumbles were opportunities to grow and gain a new perspective. She profoundly declared, “The only time I would have failed is when I did not recognize [failure] as the chance to learn and change.”
President Uchtdorf advised, “Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.”[23]
A word of caution for the teacher, parent, or employer who rewards success and penalizes failure. It is not the outcome that propels progression; it is the learning process. A success that comes with limited effort, perseverance, or dedication can limit progression; conversely, failure with purposeful effort and thoughtful examination can generate new insight. Brother J. Ryan Nielson reminded us in last week’s devotional that this latter learning tends to be more meaningful, deep, and lasting.[24] Thus, the intrinsic desire to learn is magnified when a culture of support includes the quiet satisfaction of understanding or the opportunity to try again.
Consider the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson:
Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich, who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety. Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt, crept in. Forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This new day is too dear, with hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.[25]
And finally, sometimes our inadequacy stems from a lack of preference, perseverance, determination, or effort. We may avoid learning merely because we dislike a particular subject, or conversely, we choose a course of study because we like that it requires minimal effort. “Like” is an interesting determiner when it fits our narrative, but when did “like” become a standard? We often like comfort over challenge; we like the known over the unknown. Einstein, a physicist at heart, was not enthralled with math and looked elsewhere for answers. He struggled for years before coming to appreciate his need for more mathematical tools. The general theory of relativity was the result of this insight.[26]
Pray for the desire to appreciate learning the uncomfortable or unfamiliar.[27] President Henry B. Eyring cautioned, “Part of the tragedy you must avoid is to discover too late that you missed an opportunity to prepare for a future only God could see for you.”[28]
Remember my desire to be a better cook? My problem doesn’t stem from a lack of confidence in my ability to succeed or the fear of comparison or failure; I purely lack effort. If I continue to avoid the complexity of food science and time-consuming preparation, I will never learn. Without a tablespoon of drive and a teaspoon of grit—both within my power to control—I will only continue to hope and wish. My plan? Line upon line. Begin with an episode of The Pioneer Woman and go from there!
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland affirmed that “we have all been created for greater things than we can comprehend."[29] You are now at a university where learning is your divine mission and knowledge is yours to grasp. Instead of searching for the easiest route through your degree, believe in your capacity to do hard things.
Elder David A. Bednar taught that when we come unto Christ “our capacity is being enlarged through His Atonement to do things that on our own we could never do.”[30] He provided further:
You and I are here upon the earth to prepare for eternity, to learn how to learn, to learn things that are temporally important and eternally essential, and to assist others in learning wisdom and truth (see D&C 97:1). Understanding who we are, where we came from, and why we are upon the earth places upon each of us a great responsibility both to learn how to learn and to learn to love learning.[31]
I have a testimony that Heavenly Father has placed us on this earth to grow and develop. Our direction is purposeful, our responsibility clear as we continue to move forward with a new or renewed understanding of our immense capacity and divine potential to learn. Heavenly Father will not withhold knowledge if we actively seek help and understanding and then act. Our sincere efforts are magnified, even if we are not there—yet.
Notes
[1] See Proverbs 9:9.
[2] Mathias Held, “Seeking Knowledge by the Spirit,” Ensign, May 2019.
[3] Nephi 1:1; Mosiah 1:2–3, 16.
[4] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Happiness Is Your Heritage,” Ensign, Nov. 2008.
[5] See Matthew 19:26.
[6] Betty Edwards, The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, 1999, pp. 21.
[7] Ibid., pp. 20.
[8] Carol S. Dweck, The New Psychology of Success, 2007, pp. 70.
[9] Teaching of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 1997, pp. 253.
[10] See Henry J. Eyring, “Preparing to Lead,” BYU-I devotional, Apr. 24, 2018.
[11] See Ezra Taft Benson, “Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989.
[12] Boyd K. Packer, “The Gospel, the Foundations of Our Career,” Ensign, May 1982.
[13] Ralph N. Christensen, “Fulfilling the Measure of Our Creation,” BYU-I devotional, Oct. 3, 2006.
[14] Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Tongue of Angels,” Ensign, May 2007.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Foos, P.W. “Completion time and performance on multiple-choice and essay tests,” Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, vol. 27, pp. 179–180; Wierzbicki, M. “Relation between order of completion and performance on timed examinations,” Psychological Reports, vol. 74, pp. 411–414.
[17] J. Steve Santacruz, “Algebra Too Soon?” Mathnasium.com, Jan. 27, 2022, https://www.mathnasium.com/littleton/news/www-mathnasium-com-littleton-news-algebra-too-soon-.
[18] Neil A. Maxwell, “Consecrate Thy Performance,” Ensign, May 2002.
[19] David N. Perkins, Making Learning Whole, 2009, pp. 3-4.
[20] Carol S. Dweck, The New Psychology of Success, 2007, pp. 7.
[21] “Failing for Success, the Wright Brothers,” Intellectual Ventures, March 2016
[22] Jon Decker, “Apollo 12 Was a ‘Successful Failure’: Commander,” Reuters, Apr. 2010.
[23] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Happiness Is Your Heritage,” Ensign, Nov. 2008.
[24] See J. Ryan Nielson, “Understanding and Applying the Atonement in Our Lives” BYUI devotional, Mar. 8, 2022.
[25] The Letters of Ralph Waldo Emerson, edited by Ralph L. Rusk, 1939, vol. 4, pp. 439.
[26] Walter Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe, 2007, pp. 189-224.
[27] See Dallin H. Oaks, “Desire,” Ensign, May 2011.
[28] Henry B. Eyring, “Education for Real Life,” Ensign, Oct. 2002.
[29] Jeffrey R. Holland, Created for Greater Things, 2011.
[30] David A. Bednar, “A Conversation on Leadership,” Feb. 2010.
[31] David A. Bednar, “Learning to Love Learning,” BYU devotional, Apr. 2008.