Want more money? Better relationships? Things to finally go your way? Here is the key.

The story of Demosthenes is one of my favorites. He was born into a wealthy family but he was born with a terrible speech impediment. Then at the age of 7 his parents died. To make matters worse, his guardians stole his inheritance and left him with nothing. It would be understandable at this point for him to accept the fact that he has little to live for and will not amount to much. Although something inside of him was determined to be able to speak well and eventually take his guardians to court and get his inheritance back. His speech impediment was so bad that most people couldn't even understand him. He worked tirelessly to learn all matters of law and to be come a great orator and eventually was able to take the guardians that stole his inheritance to court and get back what remained of his inheritance and become of the greatest orators in history.

I tell this story because I have noticed over the years some people, like Demosthenes, that seem to always have bad luck. They don't get the promotions they are so desperately hoping for, they have problems in their relationships, they get fired from their job or they complain because they are not getting paid enough,  they are waiting for something good to finally come their way when seemingly only bad crap comes up in their life. I have some bad news.... People that sit and wait for something to change in their lives and blame everything bad happening in their lives on other people or bad luck will continue to have bad luck, bad relationships, no promotions, low pay, and just plain sucky lives.

My message to all of them is to stop waiting!So many of the people I know that are unsatisfied with their life could experience happiness again by simply taking control and decide that I am in control of my life and no longer wait for something to change, and be the change they are so desperately needing in their lives.

I believe I know this well because I myself was in a state where I was waiting for good things to come my way and was frustrated when they didn't. When I didn't get the things out of life that I truly wanted and felt I deserved.

I found that when I stopped to look at people around me I would find people that were given advantages in life that I was not. It frustrated me because I felt they had it "easy". I would sit and think to myself how nice it would have been to have been given everything they had. I would look at some of the nice things that other people have or the lives other people have and often look at them in envy because they have something I will never have.

All that changed when I started to take a closer look at some of the most successful people on earth. A good portion of them came from circumstances far worse then mine and yet they rose to heights that most people only dream of. So how is it done? I have learned that without question its NOT our circumstances that define us, but our decisions. Its OUR choices, its what we decide to do with the hand we have been dealt.

If you are in a bad relationship what are YOU going to do about it? Are YOU doing anything to contribute to things being crappy? My guess, yes. Most people that have bad relationships are unwilling to take a deep look at themselves and first ask themselves " what could I do better?" Instead of WAITING for the other person to change. Make the change in yourself, focus on what you can do to improve and most of the time other people follow suite. My experience has always been that you will be far happier in any relationship when you point the finger at yourself far before you point the finger at someone else.

For those who are underpaid and under appreciated. What in the world are you waiting for?!?! Someone's permission for you to make more money? For someone to tell you that your valuable?  If you want to make more money, DO IT! Stop for a moment and think, what could I be doing differently? Where are there opportunities that I could make more money? What do I need to do to get those kinds of jobs? Start working towards it. STOP WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN TO YOU, YOU MAKE THE CHANGE.

 If you want to prove your more valuable in the world, PROVE IT! You don't need anyone at all to LET you do something like that. Its a mindset change. Instead of waiting for someone else to make a change in your life, you be the change you are so desperately in need of. Prove to the world that you are more valuable and ask yourself what you need to do to prove that. Then, DO IT. If you want to be more valuable, then invest in yourself, become more valuable in the marketplace. If you dont have credentials that would prove your value, then find a way you can prove your value. Even if that means you have to make a company yourself. I dont need anyone in world to tell me what I can or I cant do. If I believe I am great at marketing, but I dont have the credentials to get hired by anyone to do marketing, then find a way that you can get your own credentials. Create a path instead of waiting for one. People that utilize the power of their minds to help them come up with solutions often do.

If you think that you are not smart, or maybe you think you are smart but not smart enough or that you have limited skills, you cant do this or that, you are right haha. If you think your dumb you are, if you think you can learn anything or do anything you want, sky is the limit.  Generally speaking the only limitations that exist in this world are not limitations that the world or our circumstances put on us, they are limitations we put on ourselves.

We are in control of our future despite what some people think. If you want things to change, dont wait hoping things will improve, wait for something good to happen, go out and make it happen. The moment you realize that you are in control of your happiness, your attitude, your income, your relationships, and your future, everything will change IF you take action and start to bring about the change in your life that you need.

Take a note from history and learn from Demosthenes you will be far happier in life when you are constantly working towards something and making progress towards your goals then you will be waiting for someone or something else to change in your life, I can guarantee it.

Josh Kartchner

A few months ago I made a life changing decision and I'm never going back.

As many of you know, about a year ago I decided to follow my dreams and to work towards accomplishing them. Throughout my life, and especially over the last year, I have heard alot about failure and that the odds are against me in chasing my dreams. My thought process was that in order to beat the odds, I should learn what other people did to beat the odds. In my research I found an interesting discovery. The more I read about keys to success and listened on Youtube to people talk about how they became successful I found that many of them shared similar habits and one thing in particular. They all had an insatiable desire to learn. Some of them reading a book every single week. 

I was on Facebook one day back in December and came across a post that Mark Zuckerberg had made. He put up a picture showing books that he had been reading over the last year. I was blown away as I looked at some of the books he had been reading. First because of the amount of books he had read and second, as I looked at the titles of some of the books he was reading it was hard for me to imagine being able to make it through some of those books. 

As I was looking over the book selection I realized that I have  to do it. I have to start reading books and commit to learning. I thought about all of the articles and videos I had watched with people talking about reading and learning being a key to personal growth and large contributor to success and knew that I needed to commit to making this happen.

Whats significant about this was that I hated reading. In all of my life the only thing I had willingly read was scriptures, and even that was difficult for me. The thought of reading books, non-fiction or fictional books had very little appeal to me.

A few months back I decided that if I want to become the person that I envision myself being I need to just do it. Take action. No more excuses. Just do it #Nike. So I spent $224 and purchased 24 books on audible.com. A few months out from doing that, I am here to say that was one of the best investments I have ever made in my life. I had invested in myself and its changed me completely. I can honestly say that I am more happy now than I have been in a long time. Not that my life was bad before, but that my life now has more purpose and direction than before. I am learning and growing and it feels incredible. I have come to believe that within every human being exists the ability to create, be creative, and the desire to learn and grow. 

I am writing this because the impact from reading has made such an indelible impression on me that I had to share it. I also wanted to share some of the things that stood out to me in hopes that someone else can find inspiration that may need it, and also to encourage other people to invest in themselves and read books that can help you grow and change your perspective on what your able to achieve. 

The following are some of the books I have read and some of the things that stood out to me:

Think and Grow Rich-Nepoleon Hill

-At one point he asked us to imagine all the wealth in the world and all you take is 1 penny. He then went on to explain that this is probably exactly what we are doing with the use of our brain. 

It helped me to recognize that our brains our capable of so much more than we can imagine, It helped to put into perspective what our brains are capable of, and what most of us do with the incredible gift we have been given.

Money Master the Game- Tony Robbins

-Fewer than 10% of people that buy a non-fiction book ever get past the first chapter. 

I loved this because I felt empowered knowing that I had just been placed in the top 10% in at least 1 category!

- Losers react- Winners anticipate

In the book he talked about why alot of people fail is because they react to situations that come up and people that succeed often already thought of the problems that could occur so they dont react, they anticipate. They think ahead.

The Obstacle is the way- Ryan Holiday

- Lots of people have great ideas but often give up when it's no longer easy or things get difficult. To get to uncharted territory you have to push harder and endure longer than those that have been before you.

This help me gain a greater perspective that to achieve what I want I have to realize that other people have probably tried what I want to do but gave up because it got difficult. If I want to get to uncharted territory I have to do what other people could not do before me, and that wont be easy.  I have to push harder and endure longer!

- The obstacle is the way.

This book did an incredible way of helping me to change my perspective on life and to accept that things will happen that we cannot control. What we do control is how we handle the things that happen in our life. Looking at obstacles as a deterrent will always hamper our success and prevent us from accomplishing all that lies ahead. This book helped me to learn that the obstacle that lies ahead of us is part of the path and that by going through it is what will get us to where we are going, not avoiding it and not coming up with excuses about how we cant get through it. Take the obstacles and use them to your advantage and to help you grow. 

Big Magic- Elizabeth Gilbert

- Fear is boring.

Elizabeth talked about growing up and how she was afraid of everything. Didn't want to try new things, and didn't want to try some things at all. There was just too much fear of failure, lack of the unknown, and getting hurt that she didn't do anything. This fear controlled her life until one day she realized that fear is boring. There are so many things she had been missing out on in life simply because she was afraid of doing failure, doing something not as well as someone else could do it, and so on. She realized that this way of thinking and this way of life is just plain boring and it will never avail much. The moment she changed her perspective she was able to go out to the unknown, do things that she loved but that she wasn't the best at, and do things that scared her knowing that fear should never rule over us, it can help us, but should never be in the drivers seat.

These are some, but not all of the things that I have read that have made a great impact on my way of thinking and perspective on life. I cannot express how much starting to read has changed my life. To those who wish to add value to their lives and become a better person, more capable, smarter, wiser, and more understanding, then read non-fiction books that can help you grow and reach your divine potential.

Don't limit what your able to accomplish in this life. Read and broaden your perspective to learn more about who you are and what you can become. I know I have and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Strangely enough, I have found that the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know and how much of the knowledge that exists in the world that I don't have. It propels me to read more and learn as much as I can. Time is limited and I no longer want to waste it. 

- Josh

How will we know if we have been chosen for great things?

In april of 2005 Elder David A. Bednar gave a talk in General Conference addressed "The Tender Mercies of The Lord". Within those remarks I feel that Elder Bednar pointed out that day something that  is equally important and yet, to my knowledge, is unrecognized by many.

Each and everyone of us has more potential than we realize and the capacity to do great things. My hope is to help you see that being great and accomplishing much in your life has nothing to do with chance and everything to do with the choices we make.

The reason I mention chance is because I believe that some may believe that our potential for greatness is limited by what we were "pre-ordained" to accomplish or by the gifts, talents, and privileges that we were blessed with. That is simply not the case.

It is for that reason that I hope to highlight part of Elder Bednar's talk. He helps us to see how the Lord chooses his disciples and those who he calls to do great things. Elder Bednar stats off by reading a scripture in 1 Nephi 1:20 which reads:

“But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance”

He later goes into detail about the word chosen and explains:

"The word chosen in 1 Nephi 1:20 [1 Ne. 1:20] is central to understanding the concept of the Lord’s tender mercies. The dictionary indicates that chosen suggests one who is selected, taken by preference, or picked out. It also can be used to refer to the elect or chosen of God (Oxford English Dictionary Online, second ed. [1989], “Chosen”).

Some individuals who hear or read this message erroneously may discount or dismiss in their personal lives the availability of the tender mercies of the Lord, believing that “I certainly am not one who has been or ever will be chosen.” We may falsely think that such blessings and gifts are reserved for other people who appear to be more righteous or who serve in visible Church callings. I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are available to all of us and that the Redeemer of Israel is eager to bestow such gifts upon us.

To be or to become chosen is not an exclusive status conferred upon us. Rather, you and I ultimately determine if we are chosen. "

I wish to emphasize the point that Elder Bedar makes that to be or to become chosen is something that you and I can choose to be.

I must confess that I too have believed that being chosen is an "exclusive status" that some are called to and with that, received special gifts and abilities that are innate and that I would never be able to possess. Which I have come to learn is simply not true. Each of us has the privilege and opportunity to be one of the lords chosen and with that, be blessed by the Lords tender mercies and become "mighty even unto the power of deliverance"

Often throughout my life I often am reminded of the continual war that wages on between good and evil. There are times that I think to myself if I had to pick a group of men and women to stand with me and fight against the evils of the world and to fight for the Lord, who would I choose? Knowing that I would pick only those who are the most faithful, righteous, honest, trustworthy, and kind. I look into our congregation at church and find myself picking those who I would gladly enlist to be on my side. People I know who I could trust to fight till the end and that would not falter. Today I sit here and think to myself, would the Lord choose me? If he had to hand pick people to stand with him in the fight to save the souls of his children, would I be one of them?

When I think of those whom the Lord has chosen, that is what I think of. Those who have proven themselves worthy to be on his side. Those who have shown that they want to fight with him and for him for the rest of their lives. I am learning now that our choices and willingness to serve him are what qualify us to be apart of his army, and not as Elder Bednar pointed out an "exclusive status" that only a select few are privileged to.

In 2 Cor. 8:12 it says "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not." This emphasizes that the Lord cares more about our willingness to serve than our skills and talents that we may or may not have. 

Elder Maxwell taught, "More often than not, calls come to those who feel unready, but who are actually ready enough in the view of God, rather than to those who feel ready themselves, but who are, in God’s wisdom, unready. Not only is the Lord a perfect personnel manager in getting the right individual at the right time in the right place, but, simultaneously, he is developing each of us if we will follow his direction."

"The gross size of our talent inventories is less important than the net use of our talents. Just as the widow with her mite gave all that she had, so those with limited talents may give all they have. Others who are highly endowed may not give fully all of their talents, but hold back a portion of that which they have." (Its service, not status, that counts- Neal A Maxwell)

The Lord cares more about those that are willing to serve him and give their all than anything else. With a willingness to serve him and continually try to get better we become one of his chosen saints we will become something great as he shapes and molds us in our service rendered to him.

At a young age I made the choice on who's side I was on and that I would remain on that side until the end. I am grateful for the knowledge I have gained that often the Lord calls on the weak and humble to accomplish great things and that he shapes and molds those who serve him to become much more than they could have ever imagined. I have a testimony that each of us can become one of the Lords chosen and be blessed with all that comes with that, but that is determined by what we do with what we have been given and if we follow him. I echo the words of Joshua who said " And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve......but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

My testimony is firm in the Gospel and I have chosen who I will stand by. I know that I will make mistakes, I know that I will fall short, and I know that I am not the best at many things, but I also know that, "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.".  While I may lack much, my willingness is there and I know he calls those who are faithful regardless of ability. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

My story of coming to know for myself

When I was a about  17 years old I began seriously thinking about serving a mission. With the thought of serving a mission there came many things to my mind. One of those being, do I even know if the church is true? I thought about the experiences I had in the church and I came to the conclusion that I sincerely believed it was true. However, I also knew I could not say I knew it was true.

I thought to myself  can anyone really know? If so, how can they know? Not just believe, but really know. I knew what believing felt like because I had believed for many years, but I also knew that there had to be something more. I searched for examples in the scriptures and I found that there were many in the scriptures that were able to go beyond the place of believing and get to a place where they really know.

The thought of knowing that the church was true and not just believing occupied the my thoughts for years to come. I knew that I was no longer satisfied with a mere belief but I wanted to know for myself. I wanted to know as well as I knew that each day the sun would rise, what the color of blue is, what an apple taste's like. I realized that there were many things that I knew beyond a doubt, but that I did not know with that same certainty that this church was true.  

My object in writing this blog is to write down my thoughts and my journey on the path to Knowing that you know. In the course of reading I hope that you will look at your own life and ask yourself do I believe the church is true or do I know it? If I do not yet feel like I truly know, how can I?

Heber C. Kimball said this:

"Let me say to you, that many of you will see the time when you will have all the trouble, trial and persecution that you can stand, and plenty of opportunities to show that you are true to God and his work. ... To meet the difficulties that are coming, it will be necessary for you to have a knowledge of the truth of this work for yourselves. The difficulties will be of such a character that the man or woman who does not possess this personal knowledge or witness will fall.

If you have not got the testimony, live right, and call upon the Lord and cease not till you obtain it. If you do not, you will not stand. Remember these sayings, for many of you will live to see them fulfilled. The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within himself. If you do not have it, how can you stand?"

I am finding this to be more and more true as time goes on. Too many people are living on borrowed light. Too many people believe the church is true, but do not have a testimony strong enough to withstand the storms that are either currently in their lives or the ones that are yet to come. Knowing that I needed to be able to stand on my own regardless of what happens. Its not a matter of if your faith will be tested, its only a matter of when.

Recently I feel like I have seen this become a reality more and more. I am saddened to see good people fall away from the church for one reason or another. More importantly, I was worried about my own standing and making sure I knew where I stood. With so many things coming up about the church it truly lends one to ask themselves, if the church is really true.

First let me say that my object in writing this is not to make you think that you don't have a testimony. On the contrary, my object is to help you look at where you stand and share with you how I found out for myself.

Bruce R. McConkie in his final testimony said "..I testify that he is the Son of the Living God and was crucified for the sins of the world. He is our Lord, our God, and our King. This I know of myself independent of any other person. I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears. But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son.." 

What I love about this testimony is that he makes it clear that his testimony is his own and that he knows. He will not know any better now than he does when he see's Jesus Christ face to face that he is real. That, is really knowing.  Now I also know that my testimony is nowhere near what Bruce R. McConkie's was like, however the point still remains, each of us regardless of whether we are investigating the church, been members all of our lives, been less active, inactive or whatever. Each of us can know for ourselves. It is not something that elect few are entitled to. Each and everyone of us can truly KNOW. 

My journey started before leaving on my mission. As before mentioned I didn't know for myself and I thought to myself, how can I serve a mission telling people I know something is true, when I really just believe in it. 

 I remember one night going into my bedroom and thinking that if I kneel and pray like Enos, God will eventually give me the knowledge that I seek. I probably knelt and prayed for an hour ( which felt like a day) and prayed with all my heart, wanting to know for myself if the church was true. In one way or another I said " heavenly father, after being in the church my whole life and preparing to serve a mission I have come to  place in my life that I no longer want to believe, I want to know. Please, help me to know." I continued on pleading with everything I had to get an answer, something that would leave me without doubt. After my prayer was done, I took a second to wait ( hoping an angel would appear in my room) for an answer to my prayers. Sadly, I received no answer. I was confused as to why I would receive no answer after a sincere prayer from a young man that in all honesty wanted to know for himself.

Not knowing what I did wrong and why I did not get my answer, I did not try that again. At least getting on my knees hoping that I would get an answer right away. Time went on and I was then faced with the decision, do I go on my mission? 

The thought soon came to me, very similar to Elder Anderson's experience with going on a mission. In praying to figure out what to do about a mission the answer came, “You don’t know everything, but you know enough!"

After looking at yourself, that may be how you feel. You may not know everything, but you know enough. I have been there many times, and even now, I find myself in days saying the same thing to myself. "I know enough", enough to make it another day, enough to keep believing, enough to not let my doubts rob me of my faith.

After getting to the MTC I felt a constant barrage of doubt and disbelief in myself. I knew that if I was going to serve a mission I needed to know. After my past experience with praying to know I was hesitant, but I knew that I had no other options. In desperation I once again got on my knees and said " Heavenly Father, I have taken my leap of faith. I am here on a mission but I do not believe I can go any further without the knowledge I desperately need to be a good missionary. Please help me to know for myself." after ending my prayer the thought came to my mind, read the Book of Mormon.

Getting up, I thought to myself I had read through the book of Mormon in seminary, I had listened to others read it, but I had never in my life read the Book of Mormon with the intention of finding out if it was true. I realized that I did not know for myself if the book was true.

I immediately picked up the book. Never in my life had I ever been this excited to read the Book of Mormon. I really felt like my answer would come if I read that book. I started to read and I couldn't stop. I eventually came to a chapter in the Book of Mormon that changed my life forever. It was 2 Nephi 33: 10-11. In these versus, to paraphrase, Nephi is closing his record and wants to leave his final testimony.  He testifies that the words in the book are from Jesus Christ, and that he was commanded of him to write these things. He later goes on to say " Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things.."

After finishing those versus I felt an indescribable feeling overcome me. I knew for myself that Nephi was indeed a real person, he had been commanded of God to write these scriptures and that the Book of Mormon was true. I had received the strength and answer that I had been looking for. 

I left the MTC much stronger because of the experience that I had. Although, it was not enough. Not long after the feeling remained that I did not yet have the testimony that I desired. I had just had an experience that was wonderful and what seemed to be unforgettable.  But overtime the experience that was once so bright and easy to remember began to fade. I still had an unquenchable desire to know for myself. I did not want to just believe any more or be pretty sure that its true.

The search continued. I got on my knees regularly asking heavenly father to help me gain the knowledge that I seek. Help me to come to a knowledge of the Gospel so that I no longer feel like I just believe, I want to know for myself.

That prayer continued on and off for about a year where I would specifically ask to be able to know for myself. It was now October of 2007, the night before general conference and I was saying my prayers before I went to bed. After ending my prayer a voice came to me that said, "I want you to listen conference, there is something you need to hear." 

I'm not sure there had been a time in my life that I had more clearly heard a voice tell me something that I needed to do. I knew it was from God, I knew there was something I needed to hear, but I didn't know what it was. 

The thought that this could be the answer to my prayers after all this time had not even crossed my mind. I listened to each talk carefully, listening to every word. Finally the last session was here and I was worried that I had missed what I was suppose to hear. Douglass Callister came to the stand and he started by telling a story about Heber J. Grant

When the 23-year-old Heber J. Grant was installed as president of the Tooele Stake, he told the Saints he believed the gospel was true. President Joseph F. Smith, a counselor in the First Presidency, inquired, “Heber, you said you believe the gospel with all your heart, … but you did not bear your testimony that you know it is true. Don’t you know absolutely that this gospel is true?”

Heber answered, “I do not.” Joseph F. Smith then turned to John Taylor, the President of the Church, and said, “I am in favor of undoing this afternoon what we did this morning. I do not think any man should preside over a stake who has not a perfect and abiding knowledge of the divinity of this work.

Within a few weeks that testimony was realized, and young Heber J. Grant shed tears of gratitude for the perfect, abiding, and absolute testimony that came into his life.

When I heard that story I immediately related because I too was at a place that I could not say with confidence that I knew the church was true. Elder Callister went on to say " It is a grand thing to know—and to know that you know and that the light has not been borrowed from another."

It was at that very moment that the Lord reached out to a young man that had been praying, pleading, and spent many nights crying for a deep and abiding testimony to know. 

I heard a voice come into my mind and tell me " I want you to know that you know." It seemed as if the whole world stopped for a moment and it was just me and God. I knew that he knew what was happening to me at that very moment. I knew that he knew, that I had received the answer I had been praying for. Knowing that God recogonzied me and reached out to me, knowing that he knew at that very moment that I knew it was true. It was as if we had acknowledged each other and he left me with a hug of sweet assurance. I felt as though he said, "I was always listening, I would never forget you".   It was followed by the strongest assurance anyone could ever get from the Holy Ghost confirming that what you have heard and felt is from God and is true.

This experience changed my life forever. I went away from this experience first of all with a deeply rooted testimony, one born from the witness of the Holy Ghost. Secondly, with a witness that God does listen and he answers our prayers. Even if it is almost 2 years after we start praying for something. He listens, that I know. I went away from this experience with some things that I knew and there was nothing on earth that could take that away from me.  The third thing that I learned from this was that the testimony that I wanted at 17 years old, was built like a house of straw. I wanted it right away. Not knowing that the house the Lord wanted for me was a house built of brick. It was one that took much more time and much more effort, but the results will last through all tempests this life has to offer. It was built brick by brick, piece by piece. 

My testimony is my own. Each of us can gain a testimony and witness for ourselves strong enough to withstand anything that will come our way. I have learned that it does not come easy. Especially one that is strong and lasting. God wants us to show that we really want to know and are willing to put in the time and effort necessary in order to get that kind of testimony. 

The purpose in sharing this is because I want people to know that they can know for themselves. The time has come that it is no longer good enough to live on borrowed light. The light must be burning brightly within if we are to survive through these last days. 

Josh Kartchner