Introspect

I've been talking and thinking about goals a lot as of lately. I've already talked about my fitness goals and how I hope that by working toward achieving them, I will become healthier and happier overall.

I've been talking to a friend lately and we started talking about age difference and whether or not it is a big deal. I am a firm believer that at a certain age, the number of years you have been alive simply becomes just another number. I believe that once you are an adult, age becomes less of a describing factor of who you are and that age/maturity is distinguished based on the goals you are working toward in that point of your life. This is what made me really think about what I am doing and why I am doing it. What are the most important goals that I am working toward in my life, right now, as an 18 year old BYU-Idaho student? Well. I will tell you!

1. My education. I want to get a PhD and teach at a college level. It is all I have ever wanted to do. It is one of my dream jobs. But I know that I cannot get to that point unless I have done my very best in every level of education. I am working on graduating with my BA as soon as I can because I know that I have a very, very long road of school in front of me. 
2. Preparing now to be the best wife and mother I can be. The one I want most in this life is a family of my very own. I often joke that I want 11 kids so I can have my own baseball team. haha. But, in all seriousness, one of my absolute worst fears is getting married and having a family and then suddenly realizing that I know nothing about maintaining a household. What happens when I don't know how to cook, or clean, take care of children? Eeek. It scares me. I don't feel very prepared right now, and so I am trying to fit time into my crazy college schedule to actually make homemade meals and to clean according to how it really should be done (rather than just doing enough to pass clean checks). I feel like this category not only relates to me as a homemaker, but as a person too. Coming to terms with my own emotions and learning how to handle them has been a huge part of my life over the past few years. Becoming physically fit. Spiritually opening myself to all of God's guidance. Which, by the way, leads us into the third goal.
3. Temple marriage. Now, my friends, this is where my conversation with my friend got interesting. Apparently I'm mature for my age in that I do not mean this as get-married-as-soon-as-possible-as-long-as-he-can-take-you-to-the-temple. I feel like a lot of people in the LDS faith tend to get this idea into their heads. We get told all of the time to prepare for the temple, marry a righteous priesthood holder, etc. Friends. This is not what we should be focusing on. Let us focus on being WORTHY to be married in the temple. At all times. Not just when we get serious with someone and think, "Oh hey, I should probably get on that." Whether we are married in this life or the next, we are promised that we will all have the opportunity. I am guilty of joking about needing to get married in the Phoenix temple first, or that my ring finger feels a little empty, or other silly little things about marriage, but in my heart I know that that is not the sole focus. I want to be worthy to be taken to the temple. Worthy to win his heart over. Worthy to start a family and make covenants with the Lord. Temple marriage is my ultimate goal, but my happiness does not ride on whether I have a rock on my left hand or not. (obviously, I wouldn't complain... :P but I hope you see what I mean.) 

I will step off my comfy little soapbox now. But these are the main things that are driving me in my life at this moment. Maybe I am really mature for my age. Maybe I am normal. Maybe you think I'm crazy. But I can almost guarantee that you can trace the majority of my actions and decisions back to these three main goals if you really thought about it. 

What are your goals? Can you trace back your choices to coincide with them? What things can you change in order to better align yourself to reaching them?