Walking with Confidence

What does confidence  mean to you? Think about it for a moment. Confidence means a lot to me. I believe it means having full trust in yourself.

It may be hard these days to have full confidence in one self. In the world we live in, it can be really easy to destroy our own confidence. There are people out there that like to talk bad about people so that they can make themselves feel superior. If you were ever a victim by this, don't let it get to you. Those people that talk bad about people are only doing it because they think it will make them feel better about themselves. Please don't let them get to you.

Walking with confidence is really amazing. Walk on with hope in your heart and with your head held up high. It does make a difference. Don't worry about what other people think of you. It is their problem if they judge you. Don't change yourself for the worse, only for the better. By doing so, life has a whole new meaning. When people walk with confidence, they start to realize how great life is and how precious it is. Life is short, so please walk with confidence with your head held up high. I promise you it will change your life for good! Here is a quote that is wonderful. Please read it carefully.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Please let me know what you thought about this. I love you all!

Love, Laurel

Living with a Cheerful & Grateful Heart

Yesterday at BYUI devotional, Elder Clark mentioned about living with a cheerful and grateful heart. This really hit home to me, because I find that it is really important to live this kind of lifestyle.

Being grateful is a must in my life. Many people do things for us and so it is really important to thank them. You never know that it may make someone's day if you thank them because we don't often hear the simple two words, "Thank You" that much anymore. Also, I have come to know that it is important to be grateful for what we do have in our lives. Spending more time with a grateful heart for what we have in our lives can make all the difference. Having a positive attitude about our lives is always helpful too. Life is short yet really amazing.

Being cheerful can make all the difference, literally. People observe those around them so it is always good to leave a mark as a cheerful person. You never know that somebody is looking up to you. Being happy with what we have is extremely important. Being happy and cheerful also helps us endure our trials and it makes it easier to endure them. If we all are depressed abot our trials, it will be a long and bumpy road. Smiling and laughing everyday helps you maintain being happy and cheerful. Smiling to people just might make their day. Smiling can go a long ways.

So by having a grateful and cheerful heart, it can make all of the difference. Love you all!

-Laurel

Lessons Learned

Here are some things I have learned in life and through other people.

-Can't please everyone
-Never lower your standards.
-Stay true to who you are
-Stand up for your beliefs
-Sometimes will get persecuted for living a righteous life.
-Patience is a must when wanting to receive answers to prayers.
-Treat other people the way you want to be treated.
-Fighting/arguing doesn't solve problems
-Grudges are super lame. Don't hold them.
-Be positive through your bad times. It will make a total difference.
-Music soothes the soul (good music that is)
-Live life to the fullest because you don't know what may happen tomorrow.
-Playing the guitar and exercising is good therapy.
-Making lifelong friends is hard, but it will be rewarding
-Our families are always there for us.
-There is always somebody that cares about you.
-Optimism is the way to be
-Life is better than it seems
-Love all people beyond measure no matter who they are.
-Laughing and smiling is very healthy. So is crying...sometimes.
-Serve/befriend people. You just might be an answer to their prayers.
-Be happy with yourself. How can we all be happy if we look down at ourselves.
-Look at yourself the way Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ sees you.
-Live the life you love. Love the life you live.
-Live laugh love.
-Gossiping will make you miserable. I've seen it happen to other people.
-Accept everybody for who they are because each of them are a child of God.

P.S. Please comment/give feedback!

Love, Laurel Greathouse

Scatter-Brained

The title of this blog explains how I feel right now. So many things are going through my mins from the past and in the present and things that will happen in the future. The two main things that are going through my mind are acceptance and smiling/laughter. So I thought I would share my thoughts on both of these subjects.

First is acceptance. Do we all want to feel accepted by other people for who we are? I believe the answer is yes. We all want to feel accepted for who we are rather than who we are not. I think it is sad that people pretend to be somebody else to be accepted.

Over the years, I have learned that accepting all people for who they are is an amazing feeling. When accepting all people, I have a greater love to all people no matter where they come from and no matter what their background is.

Another thought about acceptance is learning how to accept our lives the way they are. It took me longer than I would have liked to learn this lesson. I have gone through many trials in my 21 yrs of life. One of the trials I had to go through was moving around alot. I went to 3 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 3 high schools and now to college. This may seem like a very simple thing to go through, but it wasn't. Leaving all my friends behind from each place I lived was tough. But now, as I look back, I am glad I got to meet all the people from those different places. It was a blessing. I learned many things. By accepting how our lives are, it can make us happy and appreciate what comes our way in life.

Smiling/Laughter is a must in my life. A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. A smile can go a long way. I have come to learn to smile everyday. You never know you just might make someone's day. Keep smiling because you never know who might fall in love with your smile. By smiling and laughing everyday, it cures a bad day. It always helped me. Laughing and smiling makes life much more happier. Imagine what life would be like if these two things didn't exist. I think it life would be dull and boring. So keep smiling and laugh everyday. It is good for the heart and soul.

Love,

Laurel Greathouse

Looking Back at Winter Semester '11

Well, here I am typing on this keyboard thinking of what to say. I am done with school until it resumes on April 19th. YAY! I have learned so much this semester and found out who I really am. Here are some things that happened this semester.

-Noteworthy/Vocal Point Concert!
-Huge Dodgeball Game, 1177 people participated
-Made it into a Comedy Improv group.
-Hanging out with roomies/friends a lot.
-Randomly shooting hoops. It is therapy for me.
-Went to the temple.
-Found out who my true friends were. Yes, I got betrayed by some friends. Gotta move on ya know.
-Finalized a trip to California this Summer. Surfing here I come!
-Made new friends.
-Went to the Festival of Colors in Spanish Fork
-Almost got hit my many cars. Surprised I am still alive.
-Slipped on ice the first night I arrived.
-Learned Hip Hop. You should try it sometime.
-Did a goofy video with my sis and friend Ana. Check it out on my facebook.
-Keeping up on Glee. Hilarious show.
-Learning how to beatbox.
-Saw Narnia 2 times.
-Sent off one of my good friends on his mission.
-Been catching people staring at me a lot. Am I famous or something?
-Found out someone of the male gender is in love with me.
-Talking in the Russian language with fellow classmates.
-Going on walks with some of my greatest friends!

Love, Laurel