The Journal of Julie

I enjoyed learning about Randy Pausch achieving his childhood dreams this week. Some of his dreams didn’t turn out the way he planned, but that is what course correction is for. I think that he was able to find success in many of his childhood dreams because first of all, he wrote them down. He didn’t mention his specifically, but I’m not sure how he could have remembered what he wanted to do if he had not written it down.   There is power in setting goals to paper and there are studies that state that a person is more likely to achieve their goals by writing them down.   Randy then started working on his dreams and just found ways to make it work, even if it wasn’t perfect, he was happy with his results.                 I feel that dreaming is essential because it gives us something to reach for. Reflecting on the inventions and innovations of the last 10 years, I think that it was someone’s dream ...

I'm scared. I don't like stretching beyond what I can see and what I think I'm capable of. The things I need to do for this class make me want to hide under my bed and cry myself to sleep. I'm overwhelmed and don't think I can do it. I want to choose the easy way and take the path of least resistance, but after reading Elder David A. Bednar's talk Your Whole Souls as an Offering Unto Him (Ricks College Devotional, January 5, 1999) I decided I needed to make an attitude adjustment and work on being a more diligent and competent student.  What Elder Bednar said about people wanting to just “get through” college really resonated with me. That is how I feel. Sometimes I just want to get my schooling over with, but this experience of finishing my degree and taking difficult classes is something I need to treasure and enjoy.  I've done hard things before, and I know can do them again. When climbing a mountain, it seems like we will never be able to reach the top...