The LDS Daily WOOL Home Page
(8/28/02)
"Set your goals-without goals you can't measure your progress. But
don't become frustrated if the victories don't come quickly or easily.
Remind yourself that striving can be more important than arriving. If
you are striving for excellence-if you are trying your best day by day
with the wisest use of your time and energy to reach realistic
goals-you are a success, and you can feel proud of your
accomplishments." — Marvin J. Ashton, "Be a Quality Person," "Ensign,"
Feb. 1993, 64
(8/29/02)
"Set clear and specific goals. When you set a goal and when you commit
yourself to the necessary self-discipline to reach that goal, you will
eliminate most of the problems in your life. Spend your energies doing
those things that will make a difference. Then you can become what you
think about." — M. Russell Ballard, "Do Things That Make a
Difference," "Ensign," June 1983, 72
(8/31/02)
"I believe you can train yourself to become a positive thinker, but
you must cultivate a desire to develop the skill of setting personal
worthy and realistic goals. I suppose that at about every seminar or
fireside you go to at your age someone talks to you about goal
setting. Maybe some of you get weary of listening to the principle of
setting goals. But let me tell you something about goal setting. I am
so thoroughly convinced that if we don't set goals in our life and
learn how to master the technique of living to reach our goals, we can
reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we
reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to
master the principle of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a
great difference in the results he attains in this life." — M. Russell
Ballard, "Do Things That Make a Difference," "Ensign," June 1983, p.
69-70
(9/01/02)
"I would suggest to you that setting goals is a simple process, but
there are two or three things about it you have to learn. I learned in
my business career that I could get all excited about a principle, or
that I could get all excited about trying to do something, but if I
did not write it down and if I did not place it in front of me where I
looked at it over and over and over again until it really became part
of me, I did not accomplish that goal. I would suggest that if you
want to have success in the goal setting process, you learn to write
your goals down. I would even put them in a very prominent place-on
your mirror or on the refrigerator door. Keep your goals in front of
you, in writing. Then, with the desire to reach your written goals,
you will be more willing to pay the price that successful
goal-oriented people must pay." — M. Russell Ballard, "Do Things That
Make a Difference," "Ensign," June 1983, p. 70
(9/02/02)
"Happy, fulfilling participation in the Church results when we relate
Church goals, programs, and policies to gospel principles and to
personal eternal goals. When we see the harmony between the gospel and
the Church in our daily lives, we are much more likely to do the right
things for the right reasons. We will exercise self-discipline and
righteous initiative guided by Church leaders and a sense of divine
accountability." — Ronald E. Poelman, "The Gospel and the Church,"
"Ensign," Nov. 1984, p. 65
(5/26/04)
"It is necessary to prepare and to plan so that we don't fritter away
our lives. Without a goal, there can be no real success. One of the
best definitions of success I have ever heard goes something like
this: Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.
Someone has said the trouble with not having a goal is that you can
spend your life running up and down the field and never crossing the
goal line." - Thomas S. Monson, "In
Search
of Treasure," General Conference, April 2003
1/4/06
"Now is the time to align our goals with God's goals. His work and His
glory—'to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man' (Moses
1:39) —can become ours. Of temple marriage the Savior declared,
'If a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and
everlasting covenant,... [they] shall inherit thrones, kingdoms,
principalities, and powers, dominions,... exaltation and glory in all
things.' (D&C
132:19) We are to emulate the example of the Lord, to love as He
did, to pray as He did, and to endure to the end as He did. (2
Ne. 33:4)" - Russell M. Nelson, "Now
Is the Time to Prepare," Ensign (CR), April 2005
1/1/07
"It has been said by Bruce Barton that, 'When were through changing,
were through.' There is no age when we are too old or too young or
just too middle-aged to change. Perhaps old age really comes when a
person finally gives up the right, challenge, and joy of changing. We
should remain teachable. How easy it is to become set. We must be
willing to establish goals whether we are sixty, seventy, fifty, or
fifteen. Maintain a zest for life. Never should there be a time when
we are unwilling to improve ourselves through meaningful change." - Marvin
J. Ashton, "Progress
through Change," Ensign (CR), November 1979, p.61
1/2/07
"As you build your lives in obedience
to the gospel and strive to achieve your goals, do not become
discouraged by temporary setbacks and disappointments. Remember that
it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. (2
Ne. 2:11) You will grow and learn by overcoming obstacles. The
Lord has admonished all of us to keep [His] commandments and endure to
the end. (D&C
14:7)" - Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Live
in Obedience," Ensign (CR), May 1994, p.39
1/3/07
"I must confess that
whenever my life has failed to measure up to the standards of my
forebears, it is because I have allowed worldly priorities to take
precedence over my spiritual ones. But I have learned that it is
possible to redirect our goals and to put our sights on eternal
values....
"All it takes is desire, obedience, dedication, and endurance. The
Lord will do the rest!" - Stephen B. Oveson, "Our
Legacy," Ensign (CR), November 1999, p.29
4/15/07
"I have known many great men and women. Although they have different
backgrounds, talents, and perspectives, they all have this in common:
they work diligently and persistently towards achieving their goals.
It's easy to get distracted and lose focus on the things that are most
important in life. I've tried to remember the lessons I learned from
Coach Oswald and prioritize values that are important to me so that I
can keep my eye focused on things that really matter.
"I urge you to examine your life. Determine where you are and what you
need to do to be the kind of person you want to be. Create inspiring,
noble, and righteous goals that fire your imagination and create
excitement in your heart. And then keep your eye on them. Work
consistently towards achieving them." - Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Life's
Lessons Learned," General Conference, April 2007
5/11/07
"Often we hear folks say, 'I can't see the forest for the trees.' How
important it is for us to ascend a vantage point from time to time,
above the fog that my friend referred to; there to check direction and
relative position, there to decide on things of most importance; there
to re-evaluate our goals.
"The Lord gave the key to all men nearly two thousand years ago when
he said:
"'Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice,
and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he
with me.
"'To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne,
even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his
throne.' (Rev.
3:20-21.)
"How grateful we should be to have this key to live by. How grateful
we should be that as we face the tremendous task of overcoming the
imperfections of mortality, he assures us of his presence and
sustaining help; but not without one very important stipulation, that
the incentive must come from us, for remember he said, 'Behold, I
stand at the door, and knock.' In other words he is always there,
ready to enter, ready to be with us, but we, too often, fail to
recognize the knock." - Robert L. Simpson, "Conference Report,"
October 1962, Third Day—Morning Meeting, p.99
8/24/08
"It should be the ideal of
Latter-day Saints to be at the close of each day one step nearer
heaven. They should have in mind the building of more stately
mansions, mansions of character, of patriotism, of thrift, of
morality. We do not live for ourselves. Every man can wield a
tremendous influence for good, more than he thinks." - Charles A.
Callis, Conference Report, April 1936, Afternoon Meeting, p.29
6/27/09
“Marathon runners set explicit goals. You should look ahead now and
decide what you want to do with your lives. Fix clearly in your mind
what you want to be one year from now, five years, ten years, and
beyond. Receive your patriarchal blessing and strive to live worthy of
its promises. A patriarchal blessing is one of the most important
guides in life that members of the Church enjoy. Write your goals and
review them regularly. Keep them before you constantly, record your
progress, and revise them as circumstances dictate. Your ultimate goal
should be eternal life—the kind of life God lives, the greatest of all
the gifts of God.” - Joseph B. Wirthlin,
“Running Your Marathon,” Ensign (CR), November 1989, p. 73
2/19/10
“An eminent
analyst has said: ‘I have learned in forecasting economic futures that
what is going to happen is already happening.’ It is so in our lives.
It is so everlastingly, and all of us ought to determine our ultimate
objectives as early as possible and then faithfully pursue them. Life
is not limitless here. Time soon passes. Every man takes himself and
what he is with him wherever he goes, and he takes himself also into
eternity.” - Richard L. Evans, “Conference Report,” April 1962,
Third Day—Morning Meeting, p. 98
6/2/10
"I have yet to meet a businessman, educator, artist, or athlete who has
attained a high level of excellence in their chosen field who has not
successfully been able to connect the vision of their future to their
everyday life. It is very likely that a goal or vision not connected to
everyday life by specific action will become just another unrealized
dream with nothing more than hope to support it." - Richard
J. Maynes, "A Celestial Connection to Your Teenage Years," Ensign
(CR), November 1997, p. 30
6/1/12
The future we seek as Latter-day
Saints is a life motivated by good thoughts, expressed in good
works, and sustained by an inner peace and determination of
righteous doing. The destiny we desire is an inheritance in the
celestial mansions prepared by our Savior for the faithful of God’s
children. - Delbert L. Stapely, "Good
Habits Develop Good Character," Ensign (CR) November 1974
1/1/13
Often the lack of clear direction
and goals can waste our time and energy and contribute to imbalance
in our lives. A life that gets out of balance is much like a car
tire that is out of balance. It will make the operation of the car
rough and unsafe. Tires in perfect balance can give a smooth and
comfortable ride. So it is with life. The ride through mortality can
be smoother for us when we strive to stay in balance. Our main goal
should be to seek “immortality and eternal life” (Moses
1:39). With this as our goal, why not eliminate from our lives
the things that clamor for and consume our thoughts, feelings, and
energies without contributing to our reaching that goal? - M.
Russell Ballard, "Keeping
Your Life In Balance," Ensign September 2012
7/22/13
It is necessary to
prepare and to plan so that we don’t fritter away our lives.
Without a goal, there can be no real success. One of the best
definitions of success I have ever heard goes something like this:
Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. Someone
has said the trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend
your life running up and down the field and never crossing the
goal line. - Thomas S. Monson,
"In Search of Treasure," Ensign (CR) May 2003
6/23/14
We
must not allow the things of the world to blinker our vision of
the eternal destination. Nor must we permit the “voices in the
world” to lead us off course (1
Cor. 14:10). Rather, we must allow the hope of Christ’s
glory and of eternal life to rest in our minds forever (see Moro.
9:25). We must reaffirm the goal that matters most and press
toward it “looking forward with an eye of faith” (Alma
32:40). - Carlos E. Asay,
“Stay
on the True Course,” Ensign (CR) May 1996
8/15/14
Knowing that he is a child of
God, one does not doubt whether to “deem himself a God or Beast.”
He is not of “chaos … thought,” driven by “passion” and “all
confused.” He is not “fix’d like a plant on his peculiar spot, to
draw nutrition, propagate, and rot.” He thinks of himself, as the
scriptures teach, possessed of the innate ability, as are all
other reproducing offspring, to reach in final maturity the status
of his heavenly parents and have “glory added upon [his] head for
ever and ever.” (Abr.
3:26.) This is his goal. - Marion G. Romney, “Man—A
Child of God,” Ensign (CR) May 1973
8/24/14
Why
should we all seek to pursue “a more excellent way,” and what does
it mean? Finding “a more excellent way” means being totally
converted to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and doing all
that we can to fulfill those covenants we make in becoming His
disciples. - Robert E. Sackley,
“A
More Excellent Way,” Ensign (CR) November 1988
9/19/14
Climbing steep mountain
passes on a bike requires the right attitude to get to the right
altitude. It’s the same with life. By setting worthwhile goals and
keeping your eyes fixed on them, you will learn self-discipline
and accomplish much. Yes, there were times when climbing the steep
mountain grades was as much as I could bear, but I didn’t give up,
because I was fixed in my purpose. - Ben
B. Banks, “The
Road We Call Life,” Ensign (CR) May 2002
6/10/16
Some of you are well on your way to successfully meeting some of
your goals in life. We are proud of you. My father once told me
that he thought he would have it made when he graduated from law
school. He said that really in a sense his graduation was only the
beginning of greater challenges. We do not have it made, nor will
we be free from worldly challenges in this life. - James
E. Faust, “Message
to My Grandsons,” Ensign (CR) April 2007
7/16/16
The Lord bless you, my dear brethren and sisters. I hope that you
will go forward now with a new spring in your walk and that you may
be able to carry forward the things that you have planned all your
life to do. I hope that you will do them well and do them better
than they have ever been done before. And I hope that you will give
to the numerous people who need the Lord's blessings that which they
need so much: the assurance that the Gospel is here, that the Lord
is God, that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer, and that we can depend on
him totally in our work. - Spencer
W. Kimball, "Do
Not Weary by the Way," Ensign (CR), November 1980, p.76