Common consent is brilliant

Gaining common consent in an organization is brilliant. It breeds unity, reduces politics, and increases the strength of the organization.

Where common consent is applied members of an organization are asked to either support or oppose the decisions made by the leaders. It puts responsibility on the members so there is more engagement.

When there is total support there is strength. When there is opposition there is opportunity to make things better. Interestingly, organizations that apply common consent have very little internal opposition or politics and are exponentially more effective in accomplishing their mission.

It’s a brilliant way to govern.

- DC 26:2

Learning is best when we seek and apply knowledge

We learn best when we are seeking for knowledge. However knowledge alone is not enough to really learn. Apply the knowledge and real learning happens.

Too many teachers are steeped in the industrial model of education where a teacher is the authority figure in the class, controls the class, and spoon feeds information to the students. This is about the least effective way for people to learn and really should be changed.

A more effective way of learning is where the teacher leads and the students teach. For example a teacher asks a thought provoking question and several students share their thoughts about it and a discussion follows where insights and experience are added – now everyone participates and everyone benefits. All are edified together when learning is done this way.

I hope we can change our mind set about effective learning, away from what is entrenched in our education systems for the last hundred years and back to a classical way of learning. We’d all be better for it.

- DC 88:118, 122-123

Trust in the youth

Our culture treats youth with very soft gloves. Not much is expected, not much is required.

I believe that the youth have it in them to be responsible and productive, they just need to be given the opportunity. They will rise to the occasion when there is a need.

Suppose that in one instant everyone in the world 20 years and older perishes. Would civilization cease to exist? No! The youth would take responsibility and get organized. They would work together to ensure the continuation of food production, caring for the young, and forming governments.

We can ask much more of our youth. They like responsibility. They like to be trusted and counted on.

And they do come through.

Don’t look for the BIG EVENT

When you have a big decision to make in your life and you seek help from God, how do you know what he is saying to you?

Big decisions like choosing what college to go to, who to marry, and what career path to take would all be more effective if we seek and receive input from a higher source than our self.

God’s pattern for teaching us is line upon line, precept on precept. It’s rare that there is a single BIG EVENT that defines what we are to do. His pattern is to show us a little, then a little more. As we learn more we get more.

Follow these steps in this order to learn to understand what we need to know: desire, seek, ask, discern, hear, and obey. Repeat.

- New Era September 2010, ‘Line upon Line, Precept upon Precept’, David Bednar

Mistakes are okay

We have space to make mistakes.

At times what we want may not be aligned with what is best and things don’t work out. That’s when learning happens.

Since we are free to act and not be acted upon, and this freedom comes from God, we have space to be imperfect. Space to exercise our will even if it’s contrary to God’s will and thereby make mistakes.

If God gives us space to make mistakes should we not give others space to make mistakes as well?

- DC 8, DC 9

How to be rich

If you want to be rich should you focus on getting rich or on gaining wisdom?

Focus on wisdom.

Seek for wisdom and all things will naturally follow. Wisdom to know how to act, wisdom in our choices and decisions, and wisdom in our perspective will all lead to a richer and more fulfilling life.

Most importantly seeking and applying wisdom will result in eternal salvation and there is no gift greater than the gift of salvation.

This idea, that we should not focus on the object of our desires but instead on true principles, applies to more than wisdom.

For example…

If you want to be happy should you focus on self gratification or serving other people?

Serving other people leads to happiness while self indulgence leads to discontentment, lack of meaning, and unhappiness.

- DC 6:7, DC 6:13

Focus on your character and your personality will improve

To be more friendly you can work on smiling more, making more eye contact, and giving compliments.

These are personality traits and you will achieve some degree of success.

The alternative is to work on character traits. For example increase your faith, hope, charity, and love. Remember temperance, humility, and virtue.

These are character traits. When we focus on character traits our personality naturally changes for the better.

It is most effective to work on our character rather than our personality.

- DC 4:5-6

The problem with working too hard

Working too hard is anti-productive. Life is a journey not a sprint so slow down, pace yourself!

The problem with working too hard is burn-out which results in getting little if nothing done.

Maryann has played volleyball for years and loves it. However this year, her junior year in high-school, she made a difficult decision and chose not to play. She felt it would allow her time to do things of higher value.

She told us that her decision has resulted in peace and satisfaction in her life. She is able to spend quality time with her family and friends, she went to the church girls camp over the summer, and is able to come to seminary every morning and is spiritually strengthened.

Make decisions that will result in a steady pace of life. Don’t work too hard or expend too much energy, just keep your life balanced and consistently move forward and you will then win the prize.

- DC 10:4, Mosiah 4:27

Don’t trust a drunk chauffeur

Where there is high trust there is also security and stability.

Where there is high trust work gets done faster. Energy is applied to forward progress rather than posturing for protection.

We prefer to associate with people we can trust.

How about this … associate with God and put our trust in him. His path is perfectly straight. He doesn’t oscillate to the left and right. He always is true to his word.

God is the ultimate partner because he is the most trustworthy.

Trust in God, not a drunk chauffeur.

- DC 3:2

We need to belong

Imagine if you couldn’t belong to anything. No family, no team, no company, no community. You would feel alone and suffer. Belonging helps us feel a part of something bigger than ourselves, it gives us purpose and strength.

As humans we all have a deep need to belong.

God has provided a way for us to belong even after death. As Malachi the Old Testament prophet said, and it’s the very last verse of the Old Testament, the Lord will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and children to the fathers.

We are linked to our fathers and to our children so we can belong to something forever. What a great blessing.

- Malachi 4:6, DC 2:1-3