And da Vinci once said: “You will never have a greater or lesser dominion than that over yourself.” Then he goes on to say that “the height of a man’s success is gauged by his self-mastery; the depth of his failure by his self-abandonment. … And this law is the expression of eternal justice. He who cannot establish dominion over himself will have no dominion over others.”
He continued on to say that, "There are two important elements in self-mastery. The first is to determine your course or set the sails, so to speak, of moral standards; the other is the willpower, or the wind in the sails carrying one forward. As I said before, character is determined by the extent to which we can master ourselves toward good ends. It is difficult to say just what builds good character, but we know it when we see it. It always commands our admiration, and the absence of it our pity. But it is largely a matter of willpower.
He continued on to say that, "There are two important elements in self-mastery. The first is to determine your course or set the sails, so to speak, of moral standards; the other is the willpower, or the wind in the sails carrying one forward. As I said before, character is determined by the extent to which we can master ourselves toward good ends. It is difficult to say just what builds good character, but we know it when we see it. It always commands our admiration, and the absence of it our pity. But it is largely a matter of willpower.
Christ probably gave us more definitely and clearly the answer as to how to succeed when he said:
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matt. 7:13–14.)
As we think of this, it is so evident that those who keep on the straight and narrow path leading to their goal, realizing that the straight line is the shortest distance between two points and that detours are very dangerous, are those who succeed in life and enjoy self-realization and achievement. This requires self-control and self-discipline.
On the other hand, those who fail to keep their goals in mind and fail to discipline themselves find that they are following detours and paths that lead to failure and destruction.
There are those who complain that to follow the straight and narrow path requires limitations, restrictions, overcoming, and doing without things that are very tempting. We must remember, however, that it guarantees victory and achievement of our goal, which is gained by setting a goal and being able to concentrate and follow an undeviating course.
Narrow is a very meaningful word. Often people accuse us of being narrow-minded if we are following the straight and narrow path, which certainly does require self-restraint and self-denial. We must realize and be prepared to accept the fact that it confines us, restricts us, and limits us in certain areas. But let us fully realize that it does not fetter or shackle mankind. On the contrary, it is the way to emancipation, independence, and liberty."
Again, if we hope to accomplish all that we set out to do then we need to master self-mastery, self-discipline, and self-control. How do we do this exactly? I love what N. Eldon Tanner said where first we need to determine our course and then we need to exercise willpower. Willpower can be difficult. There are a lot of things in life that tempt us and entice us, but we need to be strong and master ourselves. We are in control, not our cravings and desires. People may see us as narrow-minded because we restrict ourselves, but it's not really limitations, it's a way to enhance and build us up into something better, and more successful. By overcoming ourselves and our selfish way, we are able to free ourselves and open up better possibilities than we ever could have dreamed of.
Personal Finance was another topic studied about this week. I love the simplicity of perspective in regards to finance. Perspective is that, "Wise money management is simply living the gospel of Jesus Christ." It's as simple as that! If we live the gospel fully, God will bless us. If we pay our tithing, God will bless us. I am sure we have all had and heard stories of faithful people who paid their tithing, even when it was all that they had left, and God blessed them and made it possible for them to get by. It shouldn't be so difficult to pay tithing, especially when we remember Principle #1: Ownership. "Nothing we have is our own-it is all God's. I also love how Principle #2 ties in, because it is true that being blessed with material things should not be seen solely as a blessing, but also as a responsibility. We are responsible for the things we ave been blessed with, we are accountable of our stewardship to our Father in Heaven and the things He has blessed us with. Will we be found faithful? Will we be proud of our accountabilities?
We also need to determine "Why" we should take care of our personal finances. If we don't have a why, then we won't do it. I love the innocence of a child and how they ask "Why" in regards to everything, but it's such an inspiring thing because there should always be motivation behind everything that we do, and hopefully it is a good motivation. It can be hard to do finances and many other things in life, but as long as we know why we need to do it, and we keep our motivations pure, then we will be helped along the way and blessed for our efforts.
God truly has blessed us with so much and we need to be accountable for all of those things he has blessed us with. We need to exercise our agency wisely and show Him why we deserved to be blessed with those things and show Him that we can be responsible with those tender mercies He has bestowed upon us. When I first heard the story of the talents that the master gave to his servants, I thought, "Why is it such a big deal that the one buried his talent? He was just trying to keep it safe." But instead, what he showed was a lack of faith and responsibility. He didn't show his appreciation for His master by trying to not only repay him, but show him that he was more than worthy of receiving that talent in the first place. We need to use our agency wisely, and work to make this world a better place using the talents and blessings that our Father has bestowed upon us, not hide away from the world hoping that we can make it to Heaven again without even trying.
God truly has blessed us with so much and we need to be accountable for all of those things he has blessed us with. We need to exercise our agency wisely and show Him why we deserved to be blessed with those things and show Him that we can be responsible with those tender mercies He has bestowed upon us. When I first heard the story of the talents that the master gave to his servants, I thought, "Why is it such a big deal that the one buried his talent? He was just trying to keep it safe." But instead, what he showed was a lack of faith and responsibility. He didn't show his appreciation for His master by trying to not only repay him, but show him that he was more than worthy of receiving that talent in the first place. We need to use our agency wisely, and work to make this world a better place using the talents and blessings that our Father has bestowed upon us, not hide away from the world hoping that we can make it to Heaven again without even trying.
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