stop.

"In moments of fear or doubt 

or troubling times, hold the

ground you have already 

won, even if that ground is 

limited... 

Hope on. Journey on. 

Honestly acknowledge your 

questions and your concerns, 

but first and forever fan 

the flame of your faith."

-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland,

"Lord, I Believe"

this is my favorite talk.

it is one that has been very personal to me and has guided me in some way on many occasions.

& if you're like me, life has knocked you around once or twice. it's like this:

life is hard.

you get through.

just around the corner it's better.

you get a short break (maybe) and then something else gets thrown at you.

at least that's how i've been feeling the past several weeks months. people kept telling me that i was doing great. they said to hang in there because after having a hard time for such a long time, there must be something so good around the corner. well, first off, it took forever to get to that corner. second off, i feel like once i got around that corner, whatever was on that first road followed me down the second even though i wasn't facing it head-on anymore.

i know this is very cryptic, and i apologize for that.

bottom-line, life is hard.

it sounds cliché, but it is.

and it seems so easy to let it getcha down.

so let me hop on my soapbox for a sec.

(just one second, i promise.)

yeah, it may seem like you can never catch a break.

but that doesn't mean you are in this perpetual state of weakness. you are getting stronger. you are learning every single second and you are better for it. you might feel alone, but you'll start to see that you never were and never have been alone. Act on what faith and belief you do have and it will only continue to grow.

so stop feeling sorry for yourself. 

stop being afraid to make some mistakes. 

 stop holding onto the past and things you can't change. 

stop trying to be someone you're not for someone who doesn't matter. 

stop holding grudges. 

stop worrying. 

stop thinking you aren't ready.

stop letting people bring you down.

but also my favorite, stop acting like it's fine when it's not.

the other day i rediscovered this gem:

thirty things to stop doing to yourself.

read it.

you might just need it.

you are going to have tough days.

but you are also going to have the opportunity to take those days and be a conqueror instead of being defeated.

empower yourself.

you're a conqueror in my book.

love,

lo.