For those adventurous enough to continue, here is my paper:
In
the summer of 1996, I wrote a list of things I wanted to accomplish in life.
The items included feats of physical accomplishment, like finishing a marathon,
and musical aspirations, such as learning certain favorite songs on the piano
or guitar. Other goals revolved around spiritual growth, such as memorizing various
scriptural passages. There were also intellectual goals like reading classic
books and becoming adept at foreign languages. Included in this category was
number 15, which read, “Graduate from BYU.” At the time, this seemed like a
slam dunk as they say, an accomplishment that was almost certain as I was
already enrolled and had completed most of my General Education courses. But
not long after, due to frustrations over choices of major and personal
difficulties, I dropped out of college.
It
felt then like this item would never be checked off, and with that thought came
a realization that it was probably the single most important item on my list.
Mentally, I moved it up to first place, my highest priority goal, and made it a
matter of prayer. Years later I heard about the BGS program, and my hope
returned.
At
the time, I was not really concerned about the Aims of a BYU Education or how
the BGS program would help me develop in those areas, I just wanted to meet
goal number 15. As I would come to realize, the list I had made all those years
before was really a list of my Aims,
and in general, they fit nicely with the Aims of BYU and the BGS program. I have
also come to realize that the Lord was using this opportunity in my life to
stretch me, to give me the opportunity to grow beyond the simple aims I had set
for myself. He wanted me to see further, to aim higher, and accomplish more
than I had thought possible.
I’d
like to share with you some examples of the opportunities I have been provided
through the BGS program that have helped me to do more than just cross off
number 15. These experiences have helped me to grow spiritually and
intellectually, and have led me to develop my character more deeply so that I
can be of more service to my family, my God, and my world.
As
much as any lecture, test, or assignment, my personal character and moral
commitment were strengthened by the eight-year time limit of the BGS program. When
I made the commitment to return to school, I was working a steady job for my
father-in-law, and had a pretty simple church calling in the primary, and I was
able to complete the courses at a slow, convenient pace. One day my
father-in-law informed me that I was being “laid off”, and wouldn’t work for
him anymore. Instead, he gave me the opportunity to be self-employed, running a
small portion of his business. While this was a great opportunity, I had to
juggle my time, finances, and priorities more efficiently than I had in the
past. Soon after that, I was called to be the president of a quorum, a rather
time-consuming calling, and from there I was asked to teach early morning
seminary, a calling that would stretch me even more.
During
this time, my classes moved to the back burner, as I focused on other aspects
of my life. When I was released from seminary and able to return to my studies,
I realized that the slow pace I had been making earlier wasn’t going to cut it
anymore. I recommitted myself to finishing and created a new schedule. The
classes that had once been planned in months were now figured in weeks. No
longer was I counting how many hours I needed to study in a week, but how many
I would study each day. The Lord stretched me, and my character grew.
When
I was at BYU full time, one of the main reasons I didn’t finish was because I
could never choose a major. I bounced through several, but I couldn’t put my
heart into any of them. Years later, when I started the BGS program, I had a
career path in mind, but I eventually came to see that it wouldn’t work out
either. At that point I made a decision; I would pick an emphasis that could
help me in whatever path I chose, and I settled on Management, knowing that the
leadership, communication, and problem solving skills would be useful in
whatever field I chose.
When
I first saw the syllabus for one class, I was disheartened upon reading the
requirement that I was to write more than 40 essays, each one between 400 and
800 words long. I’m sure the professor saw this as an opportunity to expand the
breadth of my education, one of the Aims, but I came to see it differently. At
this time in my life, thanks to my wife, I was becoming very involved in the
world of writing and was considering it as a potential career. Rather than feeling
discouraged at the prospect of writing so many essays, I made the decision to
use this as an opportunity to strengthen this talent. Though they were time
consuming, I found myself enjoying the writing experiences. Ironically, I
thought I couldn’t earn a degree until I knew what I wanted to do, but instead,
I found out what I wanted to do by finishing something completely different.
The
opportunity to finish my degree has been one of the greatest blessings of my
life. I have truly grown spiritually, morally, and intellectually. The
self-discipline and moral character I have acquired and the knowledge and
skills I have gained will benefit not only me but those who I serve throughout
my life. I’m almost ready to cross number 15 off my list. Looking at it now, I
think that if I hadn’t finished this one item, I would have given up on the
whole list. I’m going to keep crossing things off my list, and adding new ones
as well. Maybe I’ll work on number 30 next: Write a book.
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