Who are we?

How is our life different when we remember who we really are?

It seems that life is full of challenges whether mental or physical.  There are temptations all around us, whether it's being too busy, wasting time or eating chocolate.  After reading Elder Eyring's talk titled "A Child of God", I realized that the key to being successful in resisting temptation and in facing challenges is knowing who we are and acting like it.  When we know and truly understand that we are the children of a Heavenly Father, that He really is our Father and we are His children, then our actions will reflect that knowledge.

Being a student is a challenge.  Studying, taking tests, writing papers and attending classes can distract us from our eternal priorities, and pride in our accomplishments can lead us the wrong direction.  Elder Eyring gives us some great insights and advise on how to avoid the wrong kind of pride and how to excel in our pursuit of excellence.  He first wants us to know that we are children of our Heavenly Father and that we should act like it.  Armed with that knowledge, we can develop some habits that great learners have used to  be successful.

There are five habits that we should invite into our lives: 
1. Welcome correction--whether at school, at work, or in life none of us are perfect.  Elder Eyring advises us to be willing to expect correction from others and from our Father in Heaven.
2. Keep commitments--we need to be careful of which commitments we make, but after we make them we should keep them.
3. Work hard--according to Elder Eyring: "When people quit working they quit learning".  Another great thought he gives is "Life at its longest is short".
4. Help others--none of us know everything, so we should help each other.  According to Elder Eyring, "the best learners make the best company".
5. Expect resistance and overcome it--this may be the hardest one to accept, yet isn't life full of resistance? Just as in strength training for our bodies will make our muscles stronger, so will adversity, with Heavenly Father's help, strengthen us.  Elder Eyring reminds us of our brothers and sisters who have  had resistance and overcome them, such as Job and Joseph in Egypt, and especially Jesus Christ.

Applying these habits into our lives will help us to become great learners and to stay humble, and relying on Heavenly Father's help will keep us going the right direction.