Don't you dare give up

The past three weeks have been hard. Things weren't going the way I had hoped or planned. I had many moments where I just felt like breaking down. I had many instances where I deeply contemplated giving up and quitting on things that I knew were important. Stumbling blocks stood strong in front of goals I had set for myself. Every time I would get up or use my strength to climb up the mountain that stood in my way, I would start to slide back down. I found myself brainstorming easier ways to get to my end goal without having to climb up the steeper parts of the mountain. I honestly felt like I just couldn't do it any more. 

These negative thoughts started to take over my mind, that's when I knew I needed to pray. I started to pray about what to do and asked if quitting was the right thing to do. As I listened, expecting an answer immediately, God was silent. I felt lost and then really had no clue what to do. I woke up the next morning and these simple, small thoughts were singing in my heart, "Just keep going! Don't give up!" I immediately knew that was the answer I had been searching for, however it wasn't even close to the answer I wanted. There were many obstacles in my way. God knew this! They were weighing me down to a point I couldn't even see, how was I possibly going to get around them?

For the next three days, the words "Just keep going" followed me everywhere. Every time I started to have doubts or feel like it was just TOO HARD, I felt lifted. It was through the grace of Jesus Christ that I started to see the things that I thought were impossible for me to do were becoming possible!

You see, I'm absolutely helpless on my own. I can't even explain to you how my times I have had to rely on the strength of the atonement through my brother Jesus Christ. I know that the atonement is real. Life isn't meant to be easy because then we would never learn, we would never grow and we would forever stay the same.

That simple line of encouragement "Don't give up!", was God's way of telling me that I would get through and there was a reason and purpose things were hard but I would make it! It was the knowledge I needed in that very moment to know I wasn't doing this on my own. The grace of my Savior would be there for me to get up the very steep mountain. That same day, I was listening to a talk and this quote struck me like a ton of bricks.

"Grace is not the light at the end of the tunnel but the light that moves us through the tunnel."
 - Brad Wilcox

It's through the small and simple things that grace will be there to help us every step of the way! It's still been a journey as I'm fighting through the obstacles but it's given me a whole new perspective on the way God answers our prayers and how he provides opportunities for us to struggle so we have more opportunities to rely on him. 

Sometimes we expect this big huge answer from God and we don't get them, then it can become easy to question whether he is there. But that's just it, while God has the ability to answer us in these HUGE ways, it's usually in the small and simple answers that amazing things come together. He has the ability and power to take the problem away but he doesn't. He allows us to struggle because he is an incredible father and he wants us to become like him. I truly believe he weeps with us and he sometimes wishes deeply that he could take the pain away but he knows what's best for us.

God knows exactly what we need to grow and what we need to get us from point A to point B. My whole life he has never made things easy, giving me exactly what I thought I wanted. He makes things a challenge and that's when I know I'm growing and I'm on the right path! This scripture is the one that speaks to my heart through this trial as it's through the small and simple things that Heavenly Father is showing me he is there and he cares. 


Alma 37:6 "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise."

When challenges come your way, embrace them! Challenges are such beautiful learning opportunities. Trials and mountains can either move you closer or farther from God. When you choose to rely on God, you will find more sweet and tender mercies in your life that will help you lift the burdens you have been asked to carry. 

You are NEVER, EVER alone so don't you dare give up!

6 Ways I Stay Inspired

6 Ways I stay inspired:


1. Being Outdoors 
 I love being outside, especially when it's bright and sunny. Nature and the beauty of the sky and the mountains and the trees and the beautiful flowers all seem to speak to me. If I'm ever having a day where I don't feel like myself or things 

2. Staying in tune with the spirit

All of my greatest and most inspired ideas actually don't come from me, they come from the spirit. When I am in tune with the spirit, inspiration comes to me in the most incredible way. I am who I am because of the grace of Jesus Christ. Without his guidance in my life, I am like a lost sheep with no inspiration and no purpose.

3. Reading and Researching

I love researching and reading about topics I am interested in, this is often where a lot of my new ideas will spark. Reading about things I care about will often spark a thought or idea for a project and then I feel inspired to work harder.

4. Working with Mentors
I feel like I have a few mentors in my life, people that are willing to offer my advice when I need it. These mentors inspire me to reach beyond what I ever feel like I'm capable of.

5. Positive Affirmations
Positive Affirmations remind me of my worth and to just keep going.When I feel my mind with positive thoughts, there is barely any room for negative thoughts, leaving tons of room for ideas and inspiration.

6. Writing in a Journal or Blogging
Writing is a passion of mine and something that allows me to connect with my inner most thoughts and often times my spirit. My spirit has all the answers and solutions to my problems and when I tune into it, inspiration seems to flow in!



Who inspires me the most?

I'm going to have to say Miss America 2008, Kirsten Haglund. Kirsten is girl full of leadership, success and optimism. She makes such a difference through her non profit and public speaking and she is whom I strive to live my life like.

#BeYOUtifulChallenge

Today we have beautiful Kimberly to share a challenge with you!

Beauty is something that's talked about frequently, but what is it exactly? I'm sure we have all heard that the world defines beauty as a set of physical requirements one must meet. For example, to be "beautiful" one should be: skinny, but not TOO skinny, tall, but not TOO tall, etc. etc. Then again, we have all heard the opposite definition that beauty comes from within and that what makes someone beautiful is their personality. I happen to disagree with both definitions. Why? Well, I believe that beauty is a feeling, an emotion. I believe that in order for a woman to be beautiful, she must FEEL that she is beautiful. You can tell a woman that you think she's beautiful a million times and she won't believe you until she sees herself as such. Sad, but true.

A few years ago, I received a Canon rebel XTi (AKA one of those "fancy" digital cameras) for my birthday. For a while I did not know what I wanted to take pictures of. I grew up in a family of professional photographers that each found their niche. I started off by taking photos of landscapes, flowers, and even just capturing memories at family parties and events. Last year, I had a friend approach me about wanting me to take some pictures of her for a fun "photo-shoot". She knew I had a nice camera so she wanted to try and see if she could use nicer pictures for her Instagram and other social media accounts. So, I agreed and decided to expand my hobby and try to see if portraits would be my niche. We picked out a random location to use as the backdrop and I just started snapping and clicking away. It was a lot of fun and both of us enjoyed it. I emailed the pictures to her later on that night and she told me she couldn't believe how pretty she looked. To be honest, I don't really like to do intense editing outside of fixing the brightness, shadows, and exposures of the photos I take. It made me really happy to know that she saw she was pretty in the pictures. So, that's basically what I've been trying to do, which is make girls see for themselves that they really are beautiful daughters of God. Once they start seeing that, they start feeling it more and more which shows on their countenance and makes them even more beautiful. Also, I think showing someone that they're beautiful is a lot better than telling them. Knowing that I help girls, even for a moment, see themselves as beautiful is enough for me.

A few weeks ago, I noticed on Facebook how women were posting pictures that they felt beautiful in. I decided to take that challenge over to Twitter and it was SUPER successful! Girls were posting pictures of themselves using the hashtag "#BeYOUtifulChallenge". I will not take credit for the idea, but I sure do endorse it a ton. Posting the pictures may not have given someone an automatic, 100% self-esteem boost but it did give them time to reflect and notice the beauty they hold. And that's what I think beauty is.

If a woman has to wear makeup and put on pretty clothes to see that she's beautiful, let them be. And if a woman feels beautiful without all of those things, let them be. All that matters is that they feel beautiful and see it for themselves. That's what Heavenly Father wants. Society does not give a great example on how we should see beauty so it is up to a few of us to rise to the challenge and see ourselves as beautiful. I challenge you all to try and see for yourselves. See the divinity in you. Wear your crowns proudly, you beautiful princesses! Stay beautiful, ladies.

Love,
Kimberly
(Metaphorically Crowned)

I took the challenge - Here are three pictures that I feel beautiful in. 

Don't forget to try the challenge out for yourselves! :)