Post 2 -- "Sweet 16" Ways to Become More Christlike

By Judy Rix... Before you read this chapter, please read my post " Who Are You Really?" where I discussed the importance of setting long and short - term goals. Today's post goes into more detail about how to do that.

What Is Your Life's Long-Term Goal, Your Thesis Statement?

As I mentioned in a previous post, take time to thoughtfully and prayerfully decide how you can become more like the Savior. Make this your long-term life goal. Condense your goal into a thesis statement, a single clearly worded sentence stating your ultimate objective. Writing it down, reviewing it, and making periodic adjustments keeps you from getting sidetracked. This is mine:

I Am Preparing for My Eternal Destiny by

Emulating Jesus Christ in My Mortal Life.

Now That Your Precise Destination Is Fixed in Your Mind, How Do You Get There?

You've probably heard the old quip, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."

That's exactly how you perfect Christlike traits -- By turning that seemingly impossible pursuit into intermediate or short - term pursuits.

Intermediate Goals Are "One Bite at a Time."

Just jotting down your end goal isn't enough, and neither is relying solely on willpower. You need a solid action plan. So come up with your plan and then take it to the Lord for improvement.

Walt Disney said, "If you can dream it, you can do it."

Remember the story in the Book of Mormon when the Brother of Jared needed light in his vessels for crossing the ocean? He asked God what he should do. God said, "What do you think you should do?" (Forgive my paraphrasing.) His plan of action was to dig clear stones out of the mountain to use for light bulbs. (Again, forgive my paraphrasing.) Then he asked God to make the stones emit light, which God did. (BOM Ether 3:1–8)

So Come Up with Your Plan.

Focusing on one or two short - term intermediate goals to begin with is a realistic way to start. You may want to add more as you progress. Write those goals in first person, present tense, as if you've already accomplished them. This "act--as--if" method, highly endorsed by psychologists, helps in visualizing success.

Please remember that a lifelong quest must be done at a manageable pace. “And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.” (BOM Mosiah 4:27)

Here's how I set up my intermediate goals. With the Lord's help and several decades of learning and experience, I've come up with what I like to call my "Sweet 16" ideals. Each one includes specific Christlike traits that I want to develop. Since many of these qualities overlap, working on several traits throughout the day helps make them a natural part of my life.

These Are My "Sweet 16" Intermediate Steps to Becoming More Christlike

1. SEEK THE LORD: I seek the face of the Lord, focusing on His glory, and committing my whole heart to serving Him. (D&C 88:68)

2. BEHAVE LIKE A QUEEN: I am God's representative, faithfully spreading love and light with the guidance of His spirit. I conduct myself like a queen, full of dignity and confidence, radiating beauty, elegance, femininity, and grace.

3. RADIATE RIGHTEOUSNESS: I radiate righteousness. I do things that allow the light of the Lord to harbor within my soul and mirror my countenance. I perfect my light through optimism, positive faith, and hope.

4. INCREASE IN LIGHT: I reject sin and negative darkness so that goodness and light may dwell in my spirit keeping me pure, holy, and spotless.

5. BECOME SANCTIFIED: Through graciously learning from life's trials, I am sanctified, purified, and perfected by the Holy Ghost. I strive to be the best I can be within my sphere of control.

6. RADIATE GOSPEL: Regardless of my mood, I express the teachings of Jesus Christ by being sociable, kind, considerate, using gentle words, showing love and acceptance to all, and being humble and meek. I focus on others in conversations rather than myself.

7. STAY PHYSICALLY HEALTHY: I ensure my physical well-being through proper nutrition, rest, and exercise.

8. DEVELOP GODLIKE TRAITS: By emulating His example, I strive to embody divine qualities such as faith, virtue, knowledge, patience, temperance, godliness, kindness, and charity. I also try to be humble, diligent, merciful, and forgiving. (D&C 4:6) (2 Peter 1:5-8)

9. PERFECT DAILY HABITS: I perfect my daily habits by putting my house in order, preparing every needful thing, being organized, and being industrious. (D&C 88:119)

10. IMPROVE MYSELF: I look for ways to improve myself and grow positive qualities. I strive to pursue anything virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy. (13th Article of Faith)

11. BE OF GOOD CHEER: I have a cheerful disposition with a light touch. I spread beauty, joy, and positivity to those around me.

12. KEEP COMMANDMENTS: I faithfully uphold my commitments to God by observing His laws, ordinances, and commandments with precision.

13. PRAY DAILY: I pray daily to express my love for Heavenly Father, to share my concerns with Him, and to receive personal revelation.

14. STUDY SCRIPTURES: I establish truth in my bowels and glory for my covering by studying the scriptures daily. That's where I learn how to be more like the Savior.

15. STAY CALM: I remain calm and fearless, even when under pressure.

16. RETAIN THE LOVE OF GOD: I keep the love of God in my heart and receive forgiveness for my sins by staying faithful and possessing a pure heart, humility, and charity. (BOM Mosiah 4:11)

Here's My "One-Bite-at-a-Time" Action Plan for Implementing These 16 Intermediate Goals/Ideals:

• KEEP A JOURNAL: I keep a special journal to monitor my progress, or sometimes lack thereof.

• BE FLEXIBLE: My goals are flexible. I frequently adapt them as I continue to learn more along the way.

• FOCUS ON ONE OR TWO TRAITS EACH DAY: Each goal contains Christlike qualities that I want to develop. I manage my 16 ideals by focusing on just a couple of those traits each day and think of ways to grow in those attributes.

• ASK GOD TO BE YOUR PARTNER: I know that God loves me, that He wants me to succeed, and that He will assist in my endeavors. In my morning prayer, I explain my ideas for developing the "trait of the day" and ask for His help. Talking to Him also clarifies my objectives and plan of action in my own mind. Sometimes when you actually say the words out loud, you think, "Well that's a dumb idea. Let's give this a little more thought." When God is your partner, He gives you inspiration.

• RETURN AND REPORT: At the end of the day, I evaluate my experiences and report back to Heavenly Father in my evening prayer. If I've improved today even in the smallest way, I acknowledge my success. If I need to do better, I consider ways I can tweak it up a bit for tomorrow. That accountability report is an invaluable incentive that strengthens my commitment.

• KEEP TRYING: Some days I completely blow it or forget that I'm even trying to improve. But that's when I take advantage of that wonderful gift, repentance, and start over again fresh the next morning.

Here Are a Few Results from My Own Intermediate Goal-Setting.

#7: Physical: I try to keep me and my family healthy.

SO, I cooked up some new sugar-free dessert recipes. Let's just say the feedback was mixed!

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#8: Patience: It was time to renew my driver's license, which means long lines and impatient people, including me.

SO, I came prepared with a smile, some conversation starters, and positive comments to chat with the people around me. I also worked on the quality of kindness, which goes hand in hand with patience. Next time I think I'll also bring along a bag of mini candy bars to share.

#15: Calm: In a stressful situation, it's easy to lose your temper.

SO I learned some deep-breathing yoga exercises that I could apply in the heat of the moment.

#11: Cheerful disposition: I try to act happy even if I don't feel happy.

SO when I'm driving solo, I practice keeping a huge smile on my face. I may look silly, but it helps tone my smile muscles. Have you ever noticed that when you smile, others almost always smile back?

#2: Elegance, femininity, and grace: I study people with graceful movements.

SO when I'm walking to and from my car, I practice graceful movements by imagining that the paparazzi are snapping pictures of me. It helps me pay attention to my posture and stride. I lift my chin, smile, and keep my gaze up. Touching the car door is my cue to switch into elegance mode. Shuffling along is never very graceful.

#6: Kindness and charity: I feel bad to see people begging on street corners.

SO to help, I’ve made copies of job applications from local businesses who are displaying "Help wanted" signs. I place some money in an envelope with the applications and carry several of these envelopes in my purse to hand out whenever I can. I'm still not sure if this is a good idea. It's a work in progress.

#1: Serve the Lord: I can serve the Lord by serving his children in the temple

SO my husband and I have made a commitment to attend the temple once a week.

#4: Reject negative darkness: I will keep a dark spirit out of my home.

SO we have eliminated R-rated movies and violence in our media selections.

#5: Learn from life's trials: Sometimes I have setbacks.

SO I try to "Think Celestial" and analyze the situation from an eternal viewpoint. The problems are much smaller from that perspective.

Go ahead! Shoot for the moon!

I encourage you to create your own version of “Sweet 16.” Or even “Wonderful One,” “Terrific Two," or "Crazy Eight.” Choose whatever works for you. Then, establish your own approach to cultivating the qualities of Jesus Christ. Go ahead! Shoot for the moon!

Emulating Jesus Christ is simply a happy way of life. The more we practice it, the more it becomes second nature. We begin to understand that His loving commandments are the roadmap to joy, and "Man is that he might have joy." (BOM 2 Nephi 2:25).

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Go to the Source--What Do the Scriptures and Respected Teachers Say?

"I am the light. I have set an example for you." BOM 3 Nephi 18:16

"Hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do." BOM 3 Nephi 18:24

“The direction in which we are moving is more important than where we are at the moment. Goal setting should cause us to stretch as we make our way.” Elder Marvin J. Ashton

“Every accountable child of God needs to set goals, short- and long-range goals." President Ezra Taft Benson 

www.emulatejesuschrist.com

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