Time Out for Women

This weekend was an absolutely amazing one! It was filled with best friends, wonderful music, and awesome speakers. Time Out for Women is such an inspired program. It was exactly what I needed this weekend. Thanks to my dear friend, Kendra, who told me about it back in October when I was having a hard time. There were so many things I learned this weekend that I would like to share with you all. So bear with me as I go through all the speakers and talk about the high-lights of each.

"Choose to Become" was the theme of their tour this year. Most of the speakers spoke about how to take past experiences and learn from them and not let them get you down. They also spoke on the things that will make you happy in life, and as we all know, its by following Heavenly Father's plan for you.

Brad Wilcox
*Talked about the two different roles of Jesus Christ. He is our literal Savior. He came to this earth to die for us so we could return to our Heavenly Father one day. He is also our Redeemer. Through his redeeming power, we can repent of our sins and use the atonement in our lives to become more like Heavenly Father.
*We should live in a way that when we see the Savior, He will be able to see His countenance in us.
*Through Christ, anything can change, even if it seems impossible. We shouldn't say that we don't need to change and that we are fine the way we are, because, by doing so, we are denying Jesus' redeeming power. We should always be striving to live better lives and should never give up.
*Heavenly Father is the composer of our lives. Everything happens because it is what He has in store for us.

Sheri Dew
*You need to water and tend for your spiritual roots. If you do not they are easy to pull up and Satan will take advantage of that a wreck havoc in your life.
*We all have earthquakes in our lives with the aftershocks that follow. These are not ideal situations, but we should remember it is a part of the Lord's plan for us and that it is preparing us for something better.
*You have to make the climb in order to see the glorious view. You will not understand why its worth all the hard work and heartache as you climb higher towards heaven until you have reached the top and can look out and see what you have become.
*Do not try to make the journey alone. Your loved ones are there to support you.
*If you are living according to the gospel, you won't get lost on your way home. Tether yourself to Jesus Christ; He knows the way.



Stephanie Nielson
---Side note on this speaker. She was not originally supposed to be a speaker, but filled in last minute. She is the woman that burned 80% of her body from the video above---
*You have to choose to recover from your heartaches. With trust and faith in the Lord, you can choose to be happy in your trial.
*When you choose what you want to become, it does not mean it will happen right away. You must work for it. Be patient. Look at the small and simple things that make you smile.
*Choose to become happy. Its hard in the midst of your trial. Love yourself so you will be able to love others more.
*You will have scars reminding you of your trial. Don't hate them. Accept them and be grateful for them. They show what you have been through. They are all unique and will help you later in your life.

Emily Watts
*Habits of Happiness:
       1. Have a thick skin. Don't let what people say affect you negatively.
       2. Expect hard things of yourself. The hard things give you a feeling of progression.
       3. Have your traditions that bring happiness to you and your family.
       4. Learn to think of yourself as a person and not another thing you have to worry about
       5. Catch your loved ones doing something good and acknowledge that thing.

Michael Wilcox
*There is nothing wrong with serving, but you should take time to take of the good part. Take time to yourself and learn and grow for yourself. Learning is an important part of becoming.
*Each day of your journey through sorrow in life leads you closer to the joy you will experience at the desired end.
*The theory of the stairs: There are stairs ascending in alternating colors. One color represents knowledge, and the other is righteousness. Each leads to the next. As you gain more knowledge, you want to be more righteous. As you become more righteous, you want to continue to learn and grow.
*The theory of the golden compass: With the fixed foot planted (in your religion or any aspect of your life), your searching foot can make a perfect circle. You should not be afraid to stretch out as far as you can, as long as your fixed foot is planted firmly.
*We get discouraged in our becoming when we realize we are still not at the end. Be happy with your journey and look for the good things in life. Be patient.

Wendy Ulrich
*Out of small and simple things, the Lord does His work. Continually look for the things that make you happy.
*Seven Steps to Always be Happy
      1. Stop worrying about your weaknesses and focus on your strengths. Think of your strengths and think of ways to use them to help others or yourself.
      2. Don't try to get motivated. Motivation follows action. Take action first and then you will see that you become more and more motivated to keep going.
      3. Stop trying to find friends. Develop the attributes of a good friend instead. Those who have the most social interaction are the happiest. Having a friend at the places you frequent keep you coming back and enjoying your time there.
      4. Don't try to feel happy. Think of what you are grateful first and through that process you will become happy.
      5. Celebrate failure. Failure means we are taking risks to grow, stretch and serve. Learn from your mistakes and use the atonement to grow closer to your Heavenly Father.
      6. Don't get help with your problems. Help someone else with their's. Continually search for ways to serve others.
      7. Don't just endure to the end. "Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured" -Gordon B. Hinckley. Find delight and joy in the present moment.

Laurel Christensen
*"Our God is a God of high expectations." -D. Todd Christofferson.
* The "Faith" Experiment:
   -Pray with Faith: Be willing to ask for things even if you feel like He never answers your prayers. He wants to give it to you if you will just ask in faith. The Lord makes your faith enough.
   -Think with Faith: Don't be the one thing standing in your way. The Lord thinks so much more about what you can accomplish. Train the way you think to be the same way as the Lord.
   -Live with Faith: Always remember the Lord is with you, through every single thing.
*You are always on "Plan A" even if in your mind you thought you were on a different one. "Plan A" is God's plan for you and He knows you are on the path you are supposed to be on. He knows what you are supposed to be going through because He knows you the best and knows what you need to prepare you for later on down that path.
*Having hope is what you want for yourself. Having faith is wanting what the Lord wants for you.
*Do not give up when the end is so close. "Cast not away, therefore, your confidence." He wants you to finish and will be with you to the end. Do not let Satan stop you. Be confident in yourself and finish strong.



It was a fabulous weekend. I was so spiritually uplifted. It has given me faith to continue on with life and be happy and know that I am still on "Plan A". I am following the Lord's plan for me. I am choosing to become closer to my Heavenly Father. I'm sorry this is forever long. I hope you have learned something from it. I know those who are reading this have played some role in my life. I want to thank you for being apart of my life. I know that I have learned something from you and it has helped me become who I am today and will continue to help me become what the Lord wants me to be.