Just do it

The way I got really good at playing the piano?

I played the piano a lot.

The way I figured out how to manage a classroom full of 12 year olds?

I walked into a room of 12 year olds and figured it out.

The way I learned to love the scriptures?

I read my scriptures every day with a desire to know and love them.

Becoming a new person, acquiring a new skill, takes action.

Not just thinking or learning about a topic (although I can’t overstate how essential that is, too!)— it has to be paired with action.

And before you think I’m just completely perfect and awesome at learning by doing (note the heavy sarcasm there)…

I think about serving people a whole lot more than I actually serve.

I think about productive habits much more than I’m actually productive.

I think about working out regularly much more than I do.

The Lord taught the Saints, both new converts and long time less-than-a-year original members, that:

“He that receiveth my law and doeth it, the same is my disciple”. D&C 41:5

They needed to prepare to receive the law.

But they also needed to be ready to just do it.

Can you imagine if all these new converts waited until they felt completely ready before going out to serve missions?

Certainly, they needed to learn gospel truths.

But they also needed to just go to work.

Which is why I almost laugh every time I re-listen to President Nelson’s counsel from earlier this month.

“Act in faith. What would you do if you had more faith? Think about it. Write about it.

“Then receive more faith by doing something that requires more faith.”

How do we get more faith?

By doing things that require a lot of faith.

I remember someone telling me that if every parent waited until they felt “ready” to have kids, there would be no children.

You’re probably never going to feel fully qualified for anything in life.

And that’s the fun of it, sometimes.

We get to learn. We get to figure things out and grow and improve as we TRY.

Learning gospel truths is so helpful and important.

But when we pair that learning with just getting out there and doing good stuff, I think we can be unstoppable.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black