Our beliefs influence our actions, and our actions influence our beliefs. Happiness and success in life are driven by how consistently our beliefs and actions agree.
As I share details here about my life, I want readers to see not only the things I do, but also how those actions are connected to my beliefs. That goal also helps me see those connections more clearly, especially where my actions and beliefs still need to be better aligned.
To that end, here are the beliefs that I feel are most important to my actions every day.
I am God's child, not just His creation. He wants me to be like Him and He has the power to accomplish that.
He gives me agency to choose if I want to be like Him, and He respects my choice. That agency means I’m meant to act rather than be acted upon.
God changes me based on my thoughts, words, actions, and everything I experience. He has the power to change me, and I have the power to invite Him to do that.
Having a physical body to interact with my spirit is an essential part of becoming like Him. Mortality is the first chapter of that journey.
Difficulty is essential for growth. Having the right amount of it and how we confront it matters enormously.
He wants me to learn about everything He has done, including the science of how our bodies and minds work, and the universe He made for us.
He wants me to organize and create things to make the world a better place for all His children.
He wants me to view and interact with other people the way He would; each person is His child.
He wants me to experience life as part of a family; as a son, brother, husband, father, cousin, uncle, grandfather and so on.
I do not expect all readers to share all the same beliefs. In fact, that's exactly why I've made this attempt to write them. I'm certain that some of what I do and share here won't make sense within the framework of another person's beliefs. The better we understand each other's beliefs, the better another's actions can be understood and learned from.
Each of these beliefs deserves their own detailed explanation and I plan to write them, but listing them here is a start. I also expect to refine this list over time, as my own self-awareness increases.
