Where do you imagine yourself being in 30 years, and what decision will you make to get there? Thirty years ago I was facing the decision of where to go to school and what to study. Ultimately, I made the decision to pass up a four-year scholarship at another university to come here to school knowing, that among other things, the environment here would be more conducive to studying, and preparing for a mission. It was here that I took my first economics course that sparked my interest and changed my career choice. Having attended here and knowing the mission of this university, gave me the desire to later return to teach when the opportunity presented itself. Our lives are made up of a series of small but defining decisions that determine our future.
You are at an exciting time of life and face many important decisions. Some decisions such as what major to select and career to pursue will influence your livelihood and lifestyle, while others such as following our Savior, and whom and where you marry will have eternal consequences. Elder Robert D. Hales remarked:
There is a time and season for all of our decisions. Make sure you make decisions in the proper time and season. All of these life-altering decisions will be made in a very busy, relatively short period during your 20s—during what I call the "Decade of Decision."[1]
Our lives are made up of decisions large and small. Even our coming to earth was the result of a decision that we made during our pre-mortal lives. As the New Year begins and you consider your upcoming decisions, I want to share with you the five P's of decision making.
1) Perspective
Recognize who you are, why you are here and what you can become. In business, GAP analysis is a tool commonly used to compare where we are to where we would like to be or have the potential to become. Once these are determined, a plan is made as to how we move to our desired goal.
You are a son or daughter of our Father in Heaven[2] prepared to come to earth at this time and to meet the challenges of today.[3] Recognizing all that our Father in Heaven has given us brings a profound sense of humility and gratitude along with confidence in knowing that "with God all things are possible."[4] We recognize that this life is our time to prepare to meet God and to perform our labors,[5] and that though but a brief moment in the eternities, the decisions we make now determine our destiny.[6] A couple of years ago as part of a family reunion, we hiked the Twin Peaks in Star Valley, Wyoming. While the view from the valley floor is beautiful, there is a unique perspective that can be enjoyed only from the mountain peaks. Climbing a mountain peak can be accomplished from various directions. Some paths may be harder, others overgrown, but as President Eyring's mother would remind him, the right path will always be uphill.[7] As I look out over this audience, it is hard to imagine the various paths in life each of you will take. While decisions about your career and where you live are important decisions in life, they are largely a matter of preference.[8] More important as you travel along life's paths is to remember your eternal potential and destination, and to live your life that you may be an instrument in the hands of the Lord.[9] By so doing, you accept the challenge of President Hinckley to "rise to the great potential within you."[10] Remembering who you are, helps keep each decision in perspective.
2) Participate
In the scriptures, we gain a better understanding of our earthly purpose - "And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them."[11] This life is designed to be a test and an opportunity to prove ourselves. This requires that there must be opposition in all things[12] and that we have the agency to choose for ourselves the path we will take. We cannot fully appreciate the joys of success without exerting the effort required to reach our goal, knowing that failure is a possibility.
Several years ago as I was preparing for further graduate studies, I chose to audit a math class. Given that I was still taking other classes and finishing my thesis, I thought this would be a great opportunity to learn, without the pressures of worrying about a grade. I did great for the first few weeks, but as time became scarcer, I focused on those things for which I would be graded on, and gave less attention and attendance to the math class. Without the risk of a grade and a commitment to do the homework, I soon fell behind and quickly found that I was so far behind it did not justify attending the class.
As with education, life is not a spectator sport to be watched as we sit on the sidelines. It requires that we are active participants and exposed to the great joys and disappointments that come throughout life. In every activity of life, we will at times fall short and make mistakes, but enduring the trial makes the joy of success that much sweeter.
Thomas Edison sought for years to make the incandescent light bulb a viable device, and tested hundreds of different filaments. After yet another failure, one of his associates expressed discouragement and disgust over the failure and failing to find out anything; to which Edison responded that they had learned something "For we had learned for a certainty that the thing couldn't be done that way, and that we would have to try some other way."[13] Failure comes only when we fail to learn from our experience.
Fear of failure may discourage us from making decisions or undertaking activities that would challenge us. We may question our ability to succeed in school, on a mission, in a career, or in marriage; particularly when there seem to be so many examples to the contrary. Along the path of life, there will be numerous individuals critiquing our decisions and calling out from the great and spacious building that we shouldn't even try. However, we will never know our limits and full potential until we have given it our all. President Monson reminds us of the inspiring words from the movie Shenandoah: "If we don't try, we don't do; and if we don't do, then why are we here?"[14] As for the critics, former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt said:
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.[15]
Our Father in Heaven knew that to become like Him, we must exercise our agency and walk by faith. In so doing, we would fall short; and thus He provided a Savior that we may repent and become clean once again, if we would but continue to try each time we fall.
And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon,...[16]
Participation is more than just showing up and going through the motions. A half-hearted workout in the gym will only produce mediocre results. Completing a homework assignment or scripture reading just to check it off the list will fail to produce the deep understanding that is only obtained when we ponder and apply the principles in our lives.President Heber J. Grant taught: "It is not what you eat that benefits you but what you digest. What you hear today is of no use to you unless you put it into practice."[17]
Digestion is a slow process as the nutrients of the food are extracted and assimilated into our bodies. The process of becoming requires us to act and takes place over a long period of time as the nutrients of wisdom are assimilated into our souls and become our character. Elder Oaks said:
It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.[18]
As we participate, we take personal responsibility and become "doers of the word, and not hearers only."[19]
3) Price
Recognize that each decision has a trade-off. Please consider the following question that I pose to students in my principles course at the beginning of each semester: Could you get straight As this semester, if the reward was one million dollars? As I ask my students, almost all students raise their hands affirmatively. I then ask them if it is a matter of their priorities or their abilities.
Elder M. Russell Ballard taught: "One of the greatest challenges of this life is the ordering of priorities."[20]
If it is a matter of priorities, what things in your life would need to sacrificed or given up to reach your desired goal? We each have been given 24 hours a day and it is up to us to decide how we use that time. Not having time to do something, simply means that it is not a priority.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave the following counsel:
Consider how we use our time in the choices we make in viewing television, playing video games, surfing the Internet, or reading books or magazines. Of course it is good to view wholesome entertainment or to obtain interesting information. But not everything of that sort is worth the portion of our life we give to obtain it. Some things are better, and others are best.[21]
Even more important than our academic achievement is our spiritual progression. Are we making the things that matter most a priority or are we giving up what we want most for what we want now?
In Alma, the father of King Lamoni prays to know God after being taught by Aaron and commits to give away all of his sins to know our Father in Heaven.[22] Are we seeking first the kingdom of God[23] or do other priorities fill our day and crowd out the very acts that will lead us back to Him? "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"[24] Pioneers in the Martin Handcart Company were caught by an early winter blizzard in eastern Wyoming and suffered significantly. Several years later a teacher in a Church class criticized the decision to allow the Saints to leave that late in the season with limited supplies. A man who had been in the Company was in attendance and after listening for a while rose to his feet and asked them to stop.
You are discussing a matter you know nothing about. Cold historic facts mean nothing here, for they give no proper interpretation of the questions involved. .... We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but did you ever hear a survivor of that company utter a word of criticism? Not one of that company ever apostatized or left the Church, because everyone of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.
I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said, I can go only that far and there I must give up, for I cannot pull the load through it. I have gone on to that sand and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me. I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the angels of God were there.
Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay...[25]
It is often through our trials that we more fully recognize our dependence on the Lord and draw near to Him. As the prophet Joseph Smith sat in Liberty Jail burdened with seemingly insurmountable challenges, his plea to the Lord was answered as he was reassured "...that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good."[26]
Each choice we make comes at a sacrifice or price. In undertaking one activity, we give up that portion of our time and other resources that could have been used to do something else. In economics, we refer to this as the opportunity cost. President James E. Faust taught:
My dear young friends, there is another great truth that you ... must learn. It is that everything has a price. There is a price to pay for success, fulfillment, accomplishment, and joy. There are no freebies. If you don't pay the price that is needed for success, you will pay the price of failure. Preparation, work, study, and service are required to achieve and find happiness. Disobedience and lack of preparation carry a terrible price tag.[27]
In our studies, the mysteries of our discipline and the gospel alike are unfolded "line upon line, precept upon precept."[28] The Lord will not reveal greater truths unto us until we are utilizing that which He has already revealed. We will not fully understand or appreciate what is taught in the upper division courses unless we have paid the price of learning what is taught in the principle courses.
President Kimball used the following analogy when he discussed the price of reaching new heights of attainment:
It ought to be obvious to you, as it is to me, that some of the things the Lord would have occur ... are hidden from our immediate view. Until we have climbed the hill just before us, we are not apt to be given a glimpse of what lies beyond. The hills ahead are higher than we think. This means that accomplishments and further direction must occur in proper order, after we have done our part. We will not be transported from point A to point Z without having to pass through the developmental and demanding experiences of all the points of achievement and all the milestone markers that lie between.[29]
May we always remember that each choice comes at a price and be willing to pay the price in each aspect of our lives required to achieve our full potential.
4) Persistence.
Making the correct choice is just the beginning. Many of us make New Year's resolutions; however as evidenced by the declining number in the gym as the semester progresses, many of us will fail to keep those resolutions.
The Lord said: "Be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceeds that which is great."[30] There will always be those smarter, faster, or stronger; but the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.[31]
Aesop's fable of The Hare and the Tortoise demonstrates the importance of persistence. During the race the talented hare, who was well ahead in the race, decided to lay down and take a nap, but the tortoise at a slow and steady pace stayed on task. After waking from his nap, the hare raced quickly to the end, only to find that he had been beaten by the slow but persistent tortoise.[32] President James E. Faust taught that "steadiness and toil will serve you better than brilliance."[33] As a professor, it is always rewarding to see those students who may not be as academically gifted but that wrestle with the subject matter and come off conquerors because of their dedication and persistence. Although the material is still just as difficult, the students' ability to comprehend has increased because they have paid the price and now have a deep understanding of the material.
Former U.S. President Calvin Coolidge said: "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."[34]
5) Ponder and Pray
The last and most important Ps in making decisions are to ponder and pray. "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good."[35] We are not alone as we face life's many choices, but we must first do our part.
The Lord offered Oliver Cowdery the gift to translate,[36] but later admonished him when he failed to continue in that which he had commenced and took no thought save it was to ask.[37] The Lord continued:
But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.[38]
Our responsibility is to do all within our power to study the problem, evaluate the options, decide which choice we feel is most appropriate, and then take our decision to the Lord for confirmation. It is also important that we are living in a manner that allows us to be sensitive and in tune to the quiet promptings that come from the Spirit. This most often happens as we take time to study and ponder the word of God. In the last general conference, Elder Richard G. Scott taught the importance of scripture study:
We talk to God through prayer. He most often communicates back to us through His written word. To know what the voice of the Divine sounds and feels like, read His words, study the scriptures, and ponder them.[39]
The answers to our prayers do not always come from the actual written words, but they provide the revelatory setting for the answers to come into our hearts and minds.[40]
At times we may not receive a divine confirmation of our choice, but if we are living in tune with the Spirit, and have taken the necessary steps of preparation, we can move forward with confidence and step into the darkness knowing that the Lord will guide our steps.The decisions you make in this life have eternal consequences. As you face this "decade of decision," may you remember the five P's of decision making as principles to guide you.
1) Perspective - remember who you are, why you are here and what you can become.
2) Participate - remember that to grow and learn we must act for ourselves.
3) Price - remember that each decision comes at a price and be willing to "lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better."[41]
4) Persistence - remember to endure faithfully to the end.
5) Ponder and Pray - remember the Lord thy God in all things.
It is my testimony that as you live your life in accordance with the will of the Father, you will find that He will guide you and make much more out of your life than you can by yourself.42 In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Robert D. Hales, "To the Aaronic Priesthood: Preparing for the Decade of Decision," General Conference, April 2007
[2] Psalms 82:6
[3] D&C 138:56
[4] Mathew 19:26
[5] Alma 34:32-34
[6] Thomas S. Monson, "Decisions Determine Destiny," New Era, November 1979
[7] Henry B. Eyring, "Raise the Bar," BYU-Idaho Devotional, January 25, 2005
[8] Neal A. Maxwell, "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel," General Conference, April 1998
[9] Alma 29:9
[10] Gordon B. Hinckley, One Bright Shining Hope, Shadow Mountain, 2006
[11] Abraham 3:25
[12] 2 Nephi 2:15
[13] B.C. Forbes, "Why Do So Many Men Never Amount to Anything?" The American Magazine, v. 91 p. 89, January, 1921
[14] Thomas S. Monson, "They Pray and They Go," General Conference, April 2002
[15] Theodore Roosevelt, "Citizenship in a Republic," April 23, 1910
[16] 2 Nephi 2:26, emphasis added
[17] Heber J. Grant, "A Thought for Christmas Time," Morgan County News 1936-12-24 A, Utah Digital Newspapers
[18] Dallin H. Oaks, "The Challenge to Become," General Conference, October 2000
[19] James 1:22
[20] M. Russell Ballard, "Be Strong in the Lord, and in the Power of His Might," CES Fireside, March 3, 2002
[21] Dallin H. Oaks, "Good, Better, Best," General Conference October 2007, emphasis added
[22] Alma 22:18
[23] Matthew 6:33
[24] Mark 8:36
[25] Pioneer Women, Relief Society Magazine, January 1948, p. 8, emphasis added
[26] D&C 122:7
[27] James E. Faust "The Devil's Throat," General Conference, April, 2003
[28] 2 Nephi 28:30
[29] Spencer W. Kimball, "The Second Century of Brigham Young University," October 10, 1975
[30] D&C 64:33
[31] Eccl. 9:11, Matt. 10:22
[32] http://www.aesopfables.com/cgi/aesop1.cgi?2&TheHareandtheTortoise
[33] James E. Faust, Pioneers of the Future: "Be Not Afraid, Only Believe." General Conference, October, 1997
[34] Calvin Coolidge, Wisdom for the Soul: Five Millennia of Prescriptions for Spiritual Healing, comp. Larry Chang (2006), 226
[35] Alma 37:37
[36] D&C 6:25
[37] D&C 9:5, 7
[38] D&C 9:8
[39] Richard G. Scott, Make the Exercise of Faith, Your First Priority, General Conference, October 2014
[40] D&C 8:2
[41] D&C 25:10
[42] "Go Forward with Faith" For the Strength of Youth: Fulfilling Our Duty to God, 2001