Well, I've been terrible at updating this blog.

This is the first time in almost a week that I've been able to sit down and take a breather. What does that mean? It's also the first time I've sat down this wek and said, "I really want to watch some TV!"

I really really want to watch some TV right now. Really.

But, I can't. I guess I'll just have to pick up another book to read! I just finished one a couple days ago, so that's one good ting that's already come from Lent! People have periodically asked me over the past week why I'm doing it, and I just have to explain that it's something I want to do! It's helping me to get other things done that I otherwise wouldn't have.

I have a confession to make. I've been wasting more time online, and I've still been terrible at journal writing, reading my scriptures, and grading papers for my TA job.

But, I came across a scripture in the book I was reading, that got me thinking about the use of my time here on this Earth. In the book, a father lovingly teaches his son not to waste his time on Earth, and quotes the parable of the unprofitable servant in Matthew 25: 14-30.

For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I've pondered on that the past couple of days, and have wondered whether or not I have spent my life truly developing those talents God has given me. There are so many things to do, to accomplish. But, what is most important? When I meet God again one day, will I have to confess the one talent he gave me, or will I be able to say I developed it, or them i the way He wanted me to?

I've spent the better part of the week chasing down sources for stories and writing them, and also trying to get the rest of my schoolwork in. That has been profitable in itself. But, there are times when I have just lazed around and not really dome anything, even with all I have to do. While I know I should run faster than I have strength, I know I have gifts that I can use to benefit my fellow-men.

I was watching an I'm A Mormon video the other day, where the girl in it, Lisa Adachi, said, "service is not just a series of acts, but a lifestyle." It was then that I realized what has been missing in my life. I need to do more service. I need to serve others with what I have been given.

On Saturday, I covered a story in the projects in Provo, where they were hosting a safety awareness event. The people there have so little, and have so many issus to deal with, whether financially, emotionally, or physically. It was a somber reminder that there are so many people in the world who need help. When I went to cover a story on BYU basketball's Coach Rose, we talked about the charity he's hoping to win some money for. I met Natalie, a girl who benefits from the foundation. She had brian cancer, and is currently in remission. Though she has some physical deformities, she was still so upbeat and determined, and wanting to help others who are going through the same thing.

I'm slightly ashamed of myself. How can I be preparing for Easter, for the celebration of God's greatest gift, when I'm not doing anything myself to live just a little like he did. That's something I intend on changing.

So, what kinds of service do you participate in? What brings you true happiness? (These aren't rhetorical questions!)

Coach Rose, with his wife Cheryl, along with Dana and Natalie. 

Talk about a busy day. The PRSSA conference was great, and I have a plethora of tweets that you can read.

I guess this weekend isn't the best example of how I am purposefully giving up Lent, but it should be  better next week. On the other hand, reading is taking up a lot of my time now.

Oh, the trade-offs.

Today made me realize that there were two things that I might have considered giving up more than TV - social media and dating. 

1. Social Media
Today was busy, I had a good amount of schoolwork to get done, but then I got distracted by Facebook and Twitter and a plethora of other social media sites.

No, I wasn't watching videos, but it just seemed so easy to browse online. I ended up wasting a couple hours doing that, and figuring out some blog issues. By the time I had figured it out, I had to go get ready for a PR conference, so that was that.

I've recently wrote a blog post for one of my classes about the distractions we face in the world today, about how media envelopes our lives. It is soooo useful, I can get so much done by collabarating on it, sharing ideas, pictures and any number of useful things. But - trust me: if I didn't need it for my classes, I would be getting rid of social media for the next 40 days.
 

2. Dating
It's a frustrating thing, at least for me. Tonight, this girl who I really liked, told me that it might have worked out, but the timing was off, so she didn't want to pursue it. She had some good reasons, and I understand them, but it still hurt.

If I gave up dating for 40 days, I'd probably have more than 60 hours of free time, my wallet would weigh a little less, and I would be carefree. But, I like girls. And so, I date. But, it is frustratingly discouraging, more so when you like the girl and you thought it might have worked out.

Questions of the Day:
So, do you think social media takes up too much of our time? And, is dating worth the pain?

Here's my viewpoint about Lent, also some thoughts on it.

Though I didn't have ashes placed on my forehead yesterday, I hope that I was able to do that symbolically as I pondered on the meaning and significance of Lent.


Here's a little thought from a town paper: "Giving something up helps me become a better person," said Tony Forgille, who is abstaining from sweets during Lent. He also hopes to eat healthier foods this season. "The ashes remind me of my mortality and that I need to try to do a better job at being a better person. Giving something up helps me actually do that."

As I was finishing up my work for the day in the newsroom, I turned to the girl next to me and asked: "What am I going to do when I go home?"

I'm normally so used to getting back and watching an episode or two of something to take a break and wind down. This time, I had to think.

What did I do? I read a book.

All this time, I had been thinking I had no time to read, but the only thing between me and my books was where I assigned my time and placed my priorities. The same goes with a lot of the things that I've wanted to get done.

I still have to get my time sorted out just a bit better, but I'm realizing that not everything can be perfect in just one day. It is a gradual process, that's why there are those 40 days. 

Looks like my favorite author did it again.

I read, and it was good.

Question of the Day:
Are you participating in Lent? What have you decided to give up?

I spent the weekend trying to brainstorm and write an opinion piece for my school newspaper on Lent.
Talk about writer's block. Despite sitting down multiple times to try and type it out, nothing would come. From reading my Bible to stuff on the Internet, it wasn't working.

Bit by bit, I guess it came together. Having writer's block perhaps wasn't the worst thing. In thinking through it multiple times, I was able to read more about what Lent is about, and was able to ponder on what I want to give up in my life that will help me to lead a more productive and fulfilling life.

As the clock struck midnight, I decided this Ash Wednesday that I would give up soda and television.

Soda was the automatic thought, then I realized that it was a total cop out. Soda would be way too easy to give up. What was something that would actually make a change and difference in my life? If it hurt too much, then it probably wasn't good for me anyway.

For those of you unfamiliar with Lent, this explains it. The Catholic Church's Constitution on Sacred Liturgy says:

"It is by means of them that the Church prepares the faithful for the celebration of Easter, while they hear God's word more frequently and devote more time to prayer."

As cheesy as it sounds, I really feel that Lent will give me the opportunity to take a step back and look at how I can use my time more wisely, and cut down on my sugar intake. More than that, I get to see how good my self-control is, whether or not I can find something else to do that's more fulfilling. I've always thought I didn't have time to read books or my scriptures, go to the gym, or get my work done.

But then, I did this calculation:

1.5 hours of television a day*40 days = 60 hours.

60 hours of time to read, to reflect, to exercise more.

I've been getting a few "But you're Mormon, not Catholic" responses to my Lenten fast. Yes, I'm not. But, the same principle applies.

The traditional purpose of Lent is the penitential preparation of the believer—through prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial. Its institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of Holy Week, marking the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday, which then culminates in the celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I hope that through this,  I'll have more time to prepare myself for Easter, to sacrifice just a little to, in a little way, understand what Christ had to sacrifice. But, he overcame it all, he came back, a resurrected being.

I definitely won't have that happen to me, but hopefully, I'll be just that little bit better.

In a survey conducted in 1939, it showed what the 18 most sought-after characteristics men looked for in prospective wives. Seventy years later, they did another survey, and the results, while unsurprising, show a discouraging trend of what matters most to men.

I'm taking a marriage and family class right now, where we've been discussing what we look for in future spouses. I wonder what this diagram would look like for a class at BYU. 

What do you look for? 

We were talking about why my professor preferred free-response answers, and these examples were some of his reasons.

HILARIOUS.

Once, when a Google employee was pitching an idea to Larry Page, Page’s response was “You’re not thinking big enough.”

I’ve been thinking about that the past couple of days. Am I thinking big enough? Of course, it’s always easy to say that you have to make sure you don’t think too big, that you’re getting ahead of yourself and all that. But, there really is something to that statement.

I have my goals that I want to accomplish this year. But, are they sub-par? Am I underachieving? Can I do better with what I’ve been given? You know what? I can.

I want to accomplish things this year, even just one thing spectacularly, so that when I look back at 2012, I can say: “I accomplished that,” and be proud of it.

It’s not just the thinking though. It’s the acting too. By acting, I mean actually acting on what you’re thinking big about, taking that chance, risking it a little or a lot, because that’s the only way you get ahead in life.

Tim Tebow said this past year: “If you believe, unbelievable things can sometimes be possible.”

Sometimes isn’t every time, but I’m working towards those sometimes.

It’s the first day of the semester. I guess I better start acting on my thoughts.

I’m going to think big this year, so that I can be big. Well, I am getting kinda tubby. I’d better think big on getting smaller around the waist this year. Aside from that though, I’m thinking big.

Are you going to ?