A Pattern for Growth

Growing is an important part of Heavenly Father’s plan. To help you, Heavenly Father gives you guidance from the Holy Ghost, the scriptures, and living prophets. You will learn from your experiences, especially when you rely on Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Here’s a pattern to help you live the gospel in all areas of your life.

Discover what you need to work on.

Plan how you will do it.

Act on your plan in faith.

Reflect on what you have learned.

Discover

Your Needs, Gifts, and Talents

Heavenly Father has given you gifts, talents, and abilities. He wants you to discover and develop them to make yourself, other people, and even the world better. How can you improve and grow?

Try asking questions like:

What do I feel I should learn or change in my life?
What talents or skills do I want to gain?
What spiritual habits do I need to develop or improve?
How can I keep the covenants I made when I was baptized?
Who can I serve?

Heavenly Father will answer these questions when you rely on Him. Pray. Search the scriptures and the words of living prophets. Read your patriarchal blessing, if you have one. Learn to recognize feelings and thoughts from the Holy Ghost. He will help you know what is most important for you right now. If you aren’t sure what to do, see pages 58–63.

Plan

To Improve

Once you’ve decided what you are going to work on, make a plan for how you can do it. Your plan might include specific steps or actions, or it might include ways to develop a habit or personal quality.

Try asking questions like:

Why is this important to me?
How will this help me become more like Jesus Christ?
What actions can I take to do this?
Can I break these actions into smaller steps?
What plans can I make now to overcome challenges I may face?

Pray about your plan, and pay attention to the feelings and ideas you get. You can ask for the help of the Holy Ghost, your family, and your leaders.

Act

To Grow in Faith

Follow your plan! Make reminders to help you stay focused. You can make a note, set an alarm, or ask someone to work with you. Sometimes working on your plan will be hard. Sometimes you’ll fail. That’s okay! Learning what works and does not work helps you grow.

If you get stuck, try asking questions like:

What has worked? Why?
What has not worked? Why not?
What else can I try?
Where could I get more ideas?
Can I break my goal into smaller steps or actions?
How can I learn from setbacks?

Doing something well takes practice and patience. Ask your family, friends, or leaders for help. The Savior knows you and the challenges you face. He can help you do hard things. Pray for help and direction.

Reflect

On What You Learned

Ponder about your goals and plans while you are working on them and when you finish. How are you feeling? What have you learned? Writing down thoughts and impressions may help you later on.

Try asking questions like:

How have I grown?
How can I use what I’ve learned to serve others?
How have my actions helped me become closer to the Savior?
How can I continue growing in this area?

When you are done working on a goal or plan, thank Heavenly Father and those who helped you. Reflect on the Savior’s role in your life when you partake of the sacrament. Think and pray about what you can work on next.