Thoughts on The New Year

Marvin J. Ashton
"An honest heart will lead to a change of heart. Spiritually speaking, a change of heart is not only desirable, but essential for eternal life. The Book of Mormon describes the conversion experience, which all of us must have, as a 'mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.' (Mosiah 5:2.)"
(Marvin J. Ashton, "The Measure of Our Hearts" Ensign, Nov. 1988, 15 16)

Change ~
"There is nothing so unchanging, so inevitable as change itself. The things we see, touch, and feel are always changing. Relationships between friends, husband and wife, father and son, brother and sister are all dynamic, changing relationships. There is a constant that allows us to use change for our own good, and that constant is the revealed eternal truths of our Heavenly Father."
(Marvin J. Ashton, "Progress through Change" "Ensign," Nov. 1979, 61)

M. Russell Ballard
"Remember, ...we all have our own challenges to work out while passing the tests of mortality, and we probably often think ours are the most difficult. Recognize limitations; no one can do everything. When you have done the best you can, be satisfied and don t look back and second-guess, wondering how you could have done more. Be at peace within yourselves. Rather than berate yourself for what you didn t do, congratulate yourself for what you did."
(M. Russell Ballard, "Be an Example of the Believers" "Ensign," Nov. 1991)

"A periodic review of the covenants we have made with the Lord will help us with our priorities and with balance in our lives. This review will help us see where we need to repent and change our lives to ensure that we are worthy of the promises that accompany our covenants and sacred ordinances. Working out our own salvation requires good planning and a deliberate, valiant effort."
(M. Russell Ballard, "Keeping Life s Demands in Balance" Ensign, May 1987)

Theodore M. Burton
"A person s attitude is perhaps the hardest of all personal attributes to change. If your attitude is right, then your life is made right. If your heart is touched, your mind and way of thinking will change and your life will change for the better accordingly. I believe we must become so immersed in the gospel of Jesus Christ that we become physically as well as mentally more and more like the Lord himself. We must yield our whole hearts to him.What we then do is done not because we are asked to, nor because we are forced to, but because we want to. Neither pressure nor force can be exerted upon us from outside, when what we do is done because it is our own choice and desire. It then makes no difference to us what other men may think, or say, or do. Our hearts being committed wholly to God, what we do is done out of our love for and our trust in him. We then serve God in every way we can because we have been converted, our attitude has been changed and we now desire to become like him both spiritually and physically."
(Theodore M. Burton, "The Need for Total Commitment" Ensign, Jan. 1974)

Joe J. Christensen
"Isn t that the way life is? We seldom perform to the level of our knowledge. This brings me to the subject of resolutions resolutions to conform our lives more closely to what we already know about the gospel. While many of us take seriously our New Year s resolutions, some of us may not have made any because of our prior problems in keeping them. We must not overlook the power that making good resolutions can have in helping make our lives happier and more successful regardless of our past performance."
(Joe J. Christensen, "Resolutions" Ensign, Dec. 1994)

" Intellectually (in wisdom and knowledge)
" Physically (in stature)
" Socially (in favor with man)
" Spiritually (in favor with God)
“I am convinced that if we make and keep resolutions in these four areas, we will have a happier and more successful new year and every year for the rest of our lives."
(Joe J. Christensen, "I Resolve" New Era, Jan. 1998)

Jack H. Goaslind
"So as we seek to prepare ourselves for a bright future, let us do so in a balanced manner, putting first things first and trusting that the Lord will bless and strengthen us and compensate for our weakness."
(Jack H Goaslind, "Look to the Future with Optimism" Ensign, Apr. 1997)

Thomas S. Monson ~
Making the Most of Today
"How fragile life, how certain death. We do not know when we will be required to leave this mortal existence. And so I ask, 'What are we doing with today?' If we live only for tomorrow, we'll have a lot of empty yesterdays today. Have we been guilty of declaring, 'I've been thinking about making some course corrections in my life. I plan to take the first step -- tomorrow'? With such thinking, tomorrow is forever. Such tomorrows rarely come unless we do something about them today.

"Because life is fragile and death inevitable, we must make the most of each day. . . .

"My brothers and sisters, may we resolve from this day forward to fill our hearts with love. May we go the extra mile to include in our lives any who are lonely or downhearted or who are suffering in any way. May we '[cheer] up the sad and [make] someone feel glad' (Hymns, no. 223). May we live so that when that final summons is heard, we may have no serious regrets, no unfinished business, but will be able to say with the Apostle Paul, 'I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith' (2Tim. 4:7)."
Thomas S. Monson,"Now Is the Time," Ensign, Nov 2001)

Richard G. Scott ~
Priorities
"Are there so many fascinating, exciting things to do or so many challenges pressing down upon you that it is hard to keep focused on that which is essential? When things of the world crowd in, all too often the wrong things take highest priority. Then it is easy to forget the fundamental purpose of life. Satan has a powerful tool to use against good people. It is distraction. He would have good people fill life with 'good things' so there is no room for the essential ones. Have you unconsciously been caught in that trap?

"'Men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death,...For [the devil] seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself' (2 Ne. 2:27). . . .

"Each of us needs to periodically check our bearings and confirm that we are on course. Sometime soon you may benefit from taking this personal inventory:
"What are my highest priorities to be accomplished while on earth?
"How do I use my discretionary time? Is some of it consistently applied to my highest priorities?
"Is there anything I know I should not be doing? If so, I will repent and stop it now.
"In a quiet moment write down your responses. Analyze them. Make any necessary adjustments.
"Put first things first."
(Richard G. Scott, "First Things First," Ensign, May 2001)

Hans B. Ringger
"I believe that words and actions are rooted in our thoughts and that our thoughts determine our deeds. Our daily decisions, planned or spontaneous, are the result of our thoughts, and we are responsible for them. Although we as individuals might think that we are and can act independently of God, we cannot escape the realization that we are subject to eternal laws. Our happiness and our peace in this life, as well as in the life after, depend on our readiness to base our thoughts and actions on God-given laws. True peace of mind and everlasting happiness come from being in harmony with God. If we are to be one with Deity, then it is we who must change and not God."
(Hans B. Ringger, "Lord, to Whom Shall We Go?" Ensign, Nov. 1995)

N. Eldon Tanner
"Now as we look back in retrospect, we might ask ourselves: Have I made the progress I should have? Did I really work to reach my goals? If we cannot answer affirmatively, then we should resolve to do better from this moment on. We should make definite plans to set new goals, and outline a course by which they may be reached, keeping in mind that eternal life should be the ultimate goal for each of us. The time is now. This is the day, the hour, the moment for each of us to resolve to do better in the future than we have done in the past."
(N. Eldon Tanner, "Walking in Obedience to the Commandments" Ensign, Feb. 1972)

Joseph B. Wirthlin
"We do not know the precise time of the Second Coming of the Savior, but we do know that we are living in the latter days and are closer to the Second Coming than when the Savior lived his mortal life in the meridian of time. We should resolve to begin a new era of personal obedience to prepare for His return. Mortality is fleeting. We all have much to accomplish in preparation to meet Him. As Latter-day Saints, 'we believe all things, we hope all things.... If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.' What do we believe that will motivate us to move forward? What do we hope for? What are the virtuous, lovely, or praiseworthy things we should seek after? I believe we should strive to develop within ourselves the traits of the character of the Savior."
(Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Cultivating Divine Attributes" Ensign, Nov. 1998)

The New Year
Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
(Hymns, No. 215)