“You have been blessed with a set of skills, abilities and gifts that are unique to you and you alone. Furthermore, you have an obligation to find out what those are and then figure out how you can express them — in other words, how to imprint your uniqueness of self on the world
“Your challenge is to discover the set of gifts that are distinctly yours and find ways to give expression to them,” Hart said. “I strongly encourage you to remember that there are multiple and sometimes subtle ways to fulfill your potential as one of Heavenly Father’s children.”
In order to be healthy and happy in this life and the next, we need to fully develop ourselves. This reflective process should be guided by the Spirit.
“The world would have us believe that ‘finding yourself’ is a self-centered journey without consequence. You do not want to rely on what the world tells you that you should do with your life — your potential is yours alone, and it is your sacred obligation to figure out what that is and to purse it,”
Here are five suggestions to help in coming to “know thyself.”
1. Be engaged.
Being engaged means giving one’s whole and best self to whatever one is doing.
2. Increase self-awareness.
We need to know ourselves first and foremost.
“In short, you have to know who you are before you can figure out what you are going to do with yourself,”
“My suggestion to you is to build absence into your lives. Set aside times to unplug, remove distraction and let your mind wander,” “Build spaces of quiet into your lives, be patient, and I think you will be surprised by the results.”
3. Be awe-full.
Not in the horrid sense, but in the amazing sense.
“So my third suggestion to you is to be awe-full. Or, put another way, be full of awe. Make a conscious effort to find awe and wonder in the small and ordinary of everyday life.”
4. Be selfless.
“The gospel of Jesus Christ is completely grounded in selflessness. The Atonement of our Savior was the ultimate act of selflessness. The Lord voluntarily took upon himself the sins of the world so that we can return to the presence of our Heavenly Father,” Hart said.
He referenced the Gordon B. Hinckley quote, “Forget yourself and go to work.” Being selfless will help keep us grounded as we seek to find and exercise own personal excellence.
“The Lord challenges us to lose ourselves so that we can have the attitudes that will keep us grounded, humble and open to learning. In losing ourselves, we learn about ourselves — and that insight provides invaluable perspective in finding our excellence,” Hart said.
5. Be compassionate.
“Being dialed into your feelings of empathy and acting on them is also necessary in finding your excellence. Compassion is an indispensable part of personal growth that will reveal much about your distinct set of skills and what types of situations will allow you to better the people and environment around you,” Hart said.
“Spend some time learning about who you really are and preparing yourselves to have an impact on the world. Then, go and do. Be excellent, and make a difference,” Hart said.
*adapted from http://universe.byu.edu/2015/02/10/david-hart-be-excellent-becoming-who-you-are-in-todays-world/#sthash.fqIYIlL3.dpuf
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