Come What May and Love It

At work, we have been stressing these four messages to get the most out of your BYU education: Find new ways to learn. Find ways to expand beyond yourself. Find your place. Find joy in the journey. I think that these are wonderful messages for everyone to take into their lives (not just BYU Freshmen). I have been reflecting on my own ability to do these things this semester. I may come back and address the other three, but for today I just want to address one aspect of number 3- Finding your place. The whole time while writing, I had this song stuck in my head: This has always been a struggle for me. In high school, I had good friends, but I never felt like I truly belonged anywhere. I felt like I was just kind of that person who would tag along to all of these things, but did not really belong there. I am able to look back and see this more and more. When I came Freshman year, I found some good friends. I thought I had found the place where I belonged. Sophomore year...

So I just finished with my 3rd New Student Orientation. This whole week, I have been reliving the last two NSO's and realizing how much I have changed. Fall NSO 2011 I was a Freshman in college. If I am being quite honest, I was completely homesick. I remember the first night, I left the Housing party early and went back to cry. The first day of NSO, I came back from the activities for dinner with my parents and started crying the moment I got into the car. Reflecting back, I was a complete baby. The days that followed are a complete blur. I remember meeting so many people and doing so many things and being just completely and utterly exhausted. So that was my first NSO. It was hard. It was crazy. It really was not the best experience. Fall NSO 2012 So now I was a Sophomore in college. I had a year of experience under my belt. I was a Freshman Mentor and I was determined to make so that they would not have the kind of experience that I did. I wanted to make sure that I was ob...

I do believe that Heavenly Father has a sense of irony. Last week was rough for me. I was not in a good place. Then something funny happened on Monday. I was at work at the best job in the world. Part of what I am working on right now is some trainings. So, I look up this week's topic. It was about reframing your mindset. And guess what was one of the readings. I will give you a hint- it is the title of this blog and my favorite talk of all time. Come What May and Love It! I find it ironic that this was put into my path the week when I needed it most. I am so grateful that I got to read over it again. I would like to write down a part that I enjoyed this time reading it through... "Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorry is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for ot...

It is crazy to think that two years ago I graduated from high school. This may not seem like that long for a lot of you, but for me it seems like an eternity.     I was reflecting today on how my life has changed in the last two years. Even in the last year, I feel like I have become a completely different person. I feel like I am not the same Amy that got up and gave a speech at graduation. I am not the same Amy that worked at Arby's. I am not the same Amy who finished up her Freshman year of college. This is the new Amy. Amy 2.0 if you will. Why was I reflecting on this, you ask? Today was Y-Group Leader Training for Summer NSO. It made me think back to last Fall's Y-Group Leader Training. I was a new mentor and felt very inadequate. I was shy and nervous. I felt like I couldn't be a peer mentor. I had just gone through Fall Training with all of these absolutely brilliant mentors. Why had I even been hired? I still wonder this sometimes, but looking back to who I...

“ The perfect place to begin is exactly where you are right now. It doesn’t matter how unqualified you may think you are or how far behind others you may feel. The very moment you begin to seek your Heavenly Father, in that moment, the hope of His light will begin to awaken, enliven, and ennoble your soul.”- President Uchtdorf It has been an interesting day. The office was busy the whole time I was there with phone calls from new freshman, but I love it. I work for Freshman Mentoring at BYU. I love my job. I love my co-workers and my supervisors. I love the freshman. It is again amazing to see how Heavenly Father knows exactly what you need when you need it. I have become a completely different person through Freshman Mentoring. I will need to reflect on that in another post (if you are a mentor, you will get the irony). Sometimes at work, I feel inadequate. I also feel inadequate during other times, but today in particularly I felt inadequate. I had been answering phones for a ...

You want me to be honest? I really have no idea what Freshman Mentoring is or what it is good for. But it is required, so I have to do it. I had to sign up for a 'bundle'. The first bundle I signed up for was just a general writing class. I am actually very excited for it! I hope that it won't be too hard, but I also hope that I learn a lot. Oh, and did I mention that it is at 8 am! Sigh...I think this will actually be better in the long run. Hopefully... The second bundle I signed up for was suggested for elementary education majors. It combines biology and human development. Basically, all that means is a lot of people will be in both classes with me. I am excited for this, so that I will be get to know people with the same major. Also, I think these will be some of my favorite classes. I am actually excited that my college schedule is forming. It makes me so excited to see my future falling into place. CRAZY!