Studies have shown time and time again the effect music has on our emotions, thought processes, and well being.  Research even shows that listening to classical or instrumental music aids in concentration while studying (the same research shows that listening to music with lyrics in most cases leads to the person singing with the lyrics, therefore, the train of thought for studying sort of trails off and retention diminishes).
Our world today is so chaotic, rushed, and full of anger that uplifting music is needed more in our lives than the music that 'reflects society'. One example of that is found in opera or musicals, the antagonist always has haunting or loud music.  Even in movies and television shows the music changes to fit what emotion the director wants the viewer to feel or anticipate (perhaps, the greatest example is the unforgettable 'music theme' for when the shark is about to attack in the movie "Jaws").  Note what music happens when Voldemort or Darth Vader enters the scene, it is definitely different than when Hagrid or R2-D2 and C3PO are enter. So, who wants to have the antagonist following them around musically?  Instead, let's rethink music choices.
Some of my favorite uplifting music comes from original Motown (who doesn't love those wonderful feats of music genius), Golden Oldies (always good for an uplift), musicals, country, and faith based music ('You Light Up My Life' by Debbie Boone was the number 1 song of the decade, and in her mindset it was about God; however the actual songwriter says it wasn't. Which goes to show, songs affect people in different ways.)
My absolute favorite song to uplift is "Do You Hear the People Sing" from Les Miserables. I've seen the play a few times, and if you asked me to go next week, I'd go again.  My other 'go-to' songs are:
"Benjamin Calypso" from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
"If I Can Dream" and "Follow That Dream" by Elvis.
"Sherry" by Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons.
"My Girl" by the Temptations.
"Sweet Caroline" and "America" by Neil Diamond.
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by the BeeGees.
"Wink" by Neal McCoy.
"Southern Nights" by Glen Campbell.
"Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables.
"When You're Hot, You're Hot" and "Eastbound and Down" by Jerry Reed.
"Walkin' in Memphis" by David Cohn.
"I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher.
"I Don't Know How to Love Him" and "Jesus Christ Superstar" from Jesus Christ Superstar.
Notice most of these songs EVERYONE knows, and can you NOT sing them when they come on the radio? I could keep going, but these are the top of the list!
This week's goal, to listen to music that uplifts!  

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. ” (Colossians 3:16)
“…teaching and admonishing one another…” Songs of worship should be teaching and admonishing. We have so many beautiful and meaningful songs that have been written and loved over the years. Unfortunately, today’s songs of worship are meaningless repetitive phrases teaching and admonishing nothing. There is a generation of children that have not been moved emotionally or spiritually by loving sermons in the form of songs. I have heard MANY people complain about this switch in the music of the church. What I mostly see are songs that are have gone away from teaching and admonishing because they don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. It’s hard to learn the gospel and to confirm it within one’s soul and life experiences. It’s hard to walk away from the temptations of the world, and some songs of the past teach of us how to do that.
I’ve listed some of the songs that have touched my heart deeply over the years, and I am so glad that I had that foundation to build on instead of the repetitive phrases used today.
“Only Trust Him” is a song that has resonated to me for almost my entire life. Followed closely behind that is “Just As I Am”. Two songs that can uplift and give hope to anyone in need of the extra boost to make it through the week ahead.
“Onward Christian Soldiers” always let me know I wasn’t in this battle alone, I had many other ‘soldiers’ in the same battle to make it day by day.
Perhaps the sermon that is one of the most beautiful of all is the touching “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief”. This song teaches a strong lesson in helping others. The much shorter song, “Love One Another, As I Have Loved You” teaches the same lesson. Both songs have such a powerful message.
The children’s song “I Am A Child of God” pleads with parents to teach their children about God. Such a beautiful message for us in the day when many parents feel they are in a daily battle to keep their children close to God.
“I’ll Go Where You Want Me To Go” is one of the most beautiful songs of complete submission to the gospel, and the earthly mission in which each of us are participating. “I Stand All Amazed” is the confirmation of how we actually can follow the gospel of Christ, and see the wonders in our lives.
The sermon, “How Great Thou Art” and “Oh My Father” teach of the divineness of Heavenly Father, and our testimony of His truly wonderful creations.
I can’t imagine my life without these touching, beautiful psalms. They each require looking at the real teachings of the Gospel, and, the admonishing of the Gospel. They allow the Spirit to touch the heart with full testimony. They bring us closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through the beautiful teaching lyrics. I pray that we each look further into the sermons that encompass the songs of faith. Find the sermon, lesson, or admonishment; if it isn’t there, it isn’t a hymn of praise or worship.

Try me lord,
If you think there’s a way,
I can try to repay,
All I’ve taken from you,
Maybe Lord,
I can show someone else,
What I’ve been through myself,
On my way back to you,
Jesus, my soul’s in your hands.
​
Last week we challenged you to find those things for which you are grateful, and where you have ‘wasted’ talents or other traits or material items you have. This week it’s the rest of the song, where one asks how to repay for that that has been wasted. Our first step on that road is repentance. Repenting of wasting precious time or situations, and then, just as the song says, encourage others to see those things in their lives that need to be changed.
This one can be tricky. I do not think this means go to those who in your eyes have wasted talents or situations and tell them what they need to do with their life from this point forward. It means, if the situation comes forward, don’t walk away from it. It means, by your example teach others how to change.
Recently I lost enough weight that it was noticeable. Several have come to me to ask what I have done to lose that weight. One even asked at what point did go down a size in clothing, and shared her own frustration in not going down in clothing size. We discussed body type and how her particular body type doesn’t lose weight in the areas that would move her down a size. However, I pointed out that her pants legs and blouse arms were not tight any longer. She began to understand and felt better about not losing clothing sizes. Now, those that asked what I was doing didn’t really make those changes; however, one has tried, taking baby steps toward those changes needed.
We can definitely share our own personal victories in change with others, however, also realizing that they may not really be ready for the effort it takes to change.
The repentance part seems a bit extreme for most things; however, if it is something that is holding you back, turn it over Jesus. Put it on His shoulders. No matter the situation, breaking a bad habit is not beyond placing it on the Atonement. He suffered in Gethsemane all that we can and would suffer in our bad choices, not to mention things that just happen. So, saying it isn’t big enough to get down on your knees and ask for assistance to make this change, just isn’t a true statement. Otherwise, most of us would never know what the Atonement is about. If we save the Atonement for that day in our lives when we break one of the 10 Commandments, that day may never come! Probably the one that we could definitely have the broadest need for would be keeping the Sabbath day holy. Truly, even in this world where Sunday is just another day, we can keep the Sabbath day holy. How many Sabbath’s have you wasted? Is it time to give back? Set that as your goal.

Why me Lord, what have I ever done
To deserve even one
Of the pleasures I've known
Tell me Lord, what did I ever do
That was worth loving you

I’ve loved this song since the first time I heard it quite a while ago. As I was listening to it on Pandora this week I began to think more about what the song really, truly means. Maybe not exactly what Kris Kristofferson meant when he wrote it, but songs affect each of differently. They tend to touch a part of us just when we need it. Today’s world has pundits that will tell you that the Lord has given us nothing but grief and hardships, He doesn’t intervene when people do bad things to innocent people. We can focus on that part of the world, which is Satan’s plan; or we can find gratitude in all that we do have.

I love to listen to those who have gone to Africa to teach about the gospel, or in remote South American countries. One that has touched me, and still touches me each Sunday that I get in my car and drive a paved road for 10 minutes to get to Church. A young man arrived to Church each Sunday in dirty clothes, they were ‘Sunday’ clothes, but they were dirty. He walked to Church each week, and part of his trek included passing through a small river; yes, I said through a small river. Getting to Church each week was that important to him.

Lord help me Jesus, I’ve wasted it so
Help me Jesus I know what I am
Now that I know that I’ve need you so
Help me Jesus, my soul’s in your hand.

The chorus is what hit me harder than I have ever thought about when singing along with the song. “I’ve wasted it so”…What have we wasted? Time? Talents? Opportunities to serve others? Money? Perhaps, in most of our lives, it is time. Time. We need ‘time’ to unwind. We need ‘time’ to ourselves. We need ‘time’ to refocus. We need ‘time’ to ………

As this week progresses, first, think about what you have in your life that is precious. It doesn’t need to be material items, those are what the world focuses on and that is where so many lose their way. We can say, however, ‘I have a car that gets me to where I need to go, when I need to be there.’ That car may not be a luxury car, and it may not be the latest model, but it gets over the river rather walking through the river. Then, we can focus on the other precious things that we have, family, friends, the gospel, the scriptures, and joy. So, write down in your journal those things that you have that are precious.

Then, where have you wasted what Heavenly Father has blessed you with? And, this one, I will leave to you and your moments in prayer to decide. And, as always, write it down in your journal.  These are your goals for this week. Next week we will finish the song.

With the hyper information from social media one subject can become fact immediately without the little bit of research that could disprove that fact. One brief example is the hyper ignorance bebopping around about ivermectin. Regardless of how you feel about political situations, the mean posts, misleading memes and people just not being nice to each other one needs to do some research first. Indeed, Ivermectin IS used on animals. However, it is also used for humans. I’m not here saying use it for this or for that, I’m here saying I saw MANY posts and meme’s that strictly said Ivermectin was a horse medication not to be used by humans. Here’s an amazing fact, most medications that are used on animals, are used on humans, too. Something as simple as Benadryl is used on animals for allergies. Wow! So, does this mean we can never use Benadryl again on humans? Because that is what the social media posters are trying to get you to think. Now, main stream media causes a lot of these half truths, and then people jump on that bandwagon and run with it without even thinking it through. I used the Ivermectin just as an example, but there are so many other things out there. The most hurtful are the half truths or actual lies that are created about people just for political gain. The one that made me so angry was when a senator said that a certain presidential candidate had not paid his taxes in years. When, indeed that candidate had paid his taxes each and every year. when confronted on this, AFTER all of the damage was done, the sitting senator said, “Well its for you to prove it wrong.”
No, it’s for you to tell the truth. Why would someone even think of creating a lie just to destroy another person We have become a very harsh and critical society. We need to do better.
The goal for this week is to hesitate before spreading a meme, story, or post that is inflammatory towards someone either directly or indirectly. Don’t be involved in spreading the hate that is so prevalent today. Social media gives everyone a sort of an imagined anonymity so it enables them to imagine that there is a wall between them and the person they are spreading hurtful statements about. Instead it just engages others who feel they have the same anonymity until it has become so big that the person’s reputation is destroyed, not to mention their emotional well-being. We need to be better.

We have discussed joy. But, what is joy? Is it physical? Is it ignoring the woes of the world?
Joy is a state of being, derived from knowing the pure love of Christ, and exhibiting that in one’s life. This is why it is important. We are here on Earth to have joy, we are not meant to live an existence of unhappiness. There is unhappiness all around us, each and every day. How and why should we not let it affect us? For one, it should affect us. But, not to bring us down to the level of unhappiness. It should bring us up to action within our sphere of influence. The world will make us think that we cannot solve the world’s problems, then we have failed. The world wants us to emulate the depression ensnaring so many. However, even in the areas of the world with the highest levels of poverty there are people who are joyful, because they are not focusing on the negative of their world. Instead, they focus on family, faith, and the world that they can touch.
That is the key, touching the world within your reach. Knowing that you can influence those around you will bring joy to your life. We all have different talents, so we also cannot measure ourselves against someone else’s influence. If your influence if simple a smile to the discouraged, then that is your realm of influence. I have seen someone’s face light up when I have given them a compliment on their outfit, or shoes, or jewelry, or hair style. Simple things can go beyond measure, you will never know how you changed that person’s day, week, month, year.
During one of our makeovers I did for the newspaper, our adorable nominee was grinning so big the makeup artist was having a difficult time doing her makeup. A customer in the store walked by and commented, “You are so beautiful!” Our sweet lady then broke down in tears, sobbing. She looked up at us and said, “No one has told me that in years.” The simplest thing can change the world around you and bring you joy.
What is joy to you? Joy to me is my family; studying the scriptures; and prayer. These things bring me joy, and help me to overcome the world’s unhappiness, and hate. I touch my portion of the world through the avenues, and by listening to the Holy Ghost as he directs me to those that need uplifting.

What is joyful? It is true happiness coming from deep within. Satan doesn’t like joy, he wants people to be depressed, frustrated, hateful, and the list goes on. Robbing us of our joy that is found in the gospel is how evil grows. Even when we have been wronged, actually or misconstrued, Satan digs it deeper within us making us believe that we cannot be joyful because we have been wronged. And, now we come to forgiveness as a part of joy. Forgiveness is NOT for the person, it is for us. Forgiveness allows us to find our joy.
What is the best way to find joy? That’s something that you will have to find yourself, but I do know that steps to joy are found in the gospel. There are just two simple things that we need to do to take the first steps toward joy.
First step, read your scriptures. I don’t care how long you do it, just do it. Read a chapter. Read a verse. Read for 30 minutes. Read for 5 minutes. You decide what is best for you.
Second step, pray. I don’t care how long you do it, just do it. Pray for one minute. Pray for five minutes. Pray once a day, in the morning. Pray once a day, in the evening. Pray twice a day, morning and evening. You decide what is best for you.
Third step. Just do it!!
I know this sounds way too easy, but these two steps a day will put you on the road to joy. All of the heavy lifting things will come later, but the foundation has to be built before you can start building. So, set aside that time right now for both prayer and reading scripture.
Ooh, this is the day that the Lord has made
Ooh, and I ain’t gon’ let it slip away
There is a song that you could listen to at least once a day, just to get yourself started! Joyful. We need to bring joy back into our lives, and not let anyone take that joy from us.

Just like Courage to Like Yourself, Physically, I am doing this exercise to emphasize the importance of this step!

1. I am happy–and I do like to smile and uplift others. I am genuinely happy. I choose to be happy. I could find plenty to be sad about all the time, especially in our world today. However, I choose to be happy. I put my trust in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. That lifts a large burden off of my shoulders. I know that the best way for me to make a difference in the world around me is to be a good person in my little part of the great big picture. Therefore, I choose to be happy in that little part of the great big picture.
2. I can play the piano enough to help out at church, if really, really, needed. Granted, they do know that if the piano stops playing, keep singing, I’ll eventually catch up. This is an accomplishment I achieved when my husband purchased a keyboard while we were in Okinawa. Then, when we returned to the continental United States, I had my piano again. This is the same piano that I learned to play when I was in the 2nd grade. It is massively out of tune, and I mean massively. But, it works for me.
3. I love to teach people how to feel better about themselves, whether its through wardrobing outfits or emotionally through developing positive habits. I can put together an outfit, I love working with separates and having fun mixing what maybe wasn’t real obvious! I love to pass that skill on to others.
4. I am good at networking. I love to introduce people to each other to fulfill their needs. Once, after seeing the editors of Essence magazine present at an event as I spoke to them, they lamented that they just knew they weren’t going to be able to get to Graceland. I asked them how much time they had, and their response showed they had enough time to go through the mansion and surrounding areas, they just didn’t have the time to go through the line and wait for the busses. One quick phone call to the marketing person at Graceland (whom I had worked with through fashion shows), and the editors of Essence received a personal tour of property. They were so excited and grateful. That made me feel happy all the way to the core of my being!
5. I can read to kids! I love to read to kids! I love to show the emotion, to change my voice for each character. I love to get them involved and ask them “What do you think is next?!” It’s so fun to draw children into the story, and, if possible, make them a part of the story! It’s so rewarding!

Do we recognize our own talents? We think of talents as playing an instrument, singing, or athletes, or art, or writing, or acting. These are not the only talents people have.
Our talents are gifts from our Heavenly Father. We each have different interests which lead us to different talents. Our Father in Heaven has a work for each of us to do to assist Him in building His kingdom here on Earth. Sharing talents with others helps the person sharing and helps the person receiving.

I have friends that have amazing talents–some garden, some enjoy cleaning house, some can sew without a pattern. Those are obvious talents. But what about not so obvious talents? There are those that can consistently pray or read the scriptures, or those that know just when to give a hug or a phone call, there are those that have patience with those that try the patience of others, There are those who have skills to work happily with others and others who can work solo.
​
It does take many talents to just get through your day. Think about that for a minute. It is a talent to be organized in the morning when everyone is going in different directions. It is a talent to put together an outfit. It is a talent to be able to wake without an alarm, or to wake up happy with an alarm. It is a talent to put together a healthy meal. It is a talent to have a restful drive to work no matter what other drivers may do. It is a talent to be the one that smiles to uplift others throughout the day. Look at all those talents and the day has barely started!
So, list your obvious talents, those that other can see–
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Now, dig deeper–what are your other talents that isn’t obviously visible?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Now–just because I only listed five, that was just to get you started. Keep going! List them in your journal–if you don’t have a journal, start one! What a perfect way to start a journal but to list your wonderful qualities! Don’t forget to write a couple of sentences on each talent.