Remember Who You Are

     To those familiar with Disney's "The Lion King" this may seem a cliche title, but the lesson that it teaches is profound.  Simba had run away from his life and the kingdom he was supposed to inherit.  Though rightfully a king he chose the life of an outcast because of fear.  His deceased father told Simba that he needed to remember who he was and go and take his kingdom that had been corrupted by his power-hungry uncle.
     While we are not kings, we each have values and desires that define who we are and who we want to be.   Often we do things that we don't feel good about and we wish that we could do better.  More important than simply doing better is being better.  If we are striving to be the person we want to be then the things that we want to do as that person will naturally come.  If we work to become a king, then we will do kingly things.  On the other hand if we work to become scum, then we will do despicable things.
     Decide what is important to you and what you want to accomplish in life, then decide what kind of person would do those things.  Work every day to become that person.  Ask yourself "Who am I?" and answer yourself with the kind of person you are striving to be.  Whenever you have to decide if you want to do something or not ask yourself "Am I the kind of person who would do that?"  If the answer is no then don't do it.  When you know who you are making choices becomes much simpler because the answers are already inside of you.
     Who you are and who you want to be don't necessarily have to be constant.  As you advance through life, you may decide that different values are important to you and you need to be a different person in order to fulfill those things.  Take care and time in deciding who you are.  Be sure that the answer to your question of who you are is always one that will lead you to happiness and even greater heights than you are now.
     Some of us define who we are by our family.  Others by organizations they belong to.  Others by religion.
     I define myself by values that have become important to me, my religion, and titles I have earned that have special meaning to me.

Who am I?

I am Quinn Thomson

I am the master of my fate and the captain of my soul.

I live by:

Love,

Honor,

Respect,

Service,

And Truth.

I am an Eagle Scout and a brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow

I am a son of God, 

And a brother and disciple of Jesus Christ.

     We are each unique individuals with unique capabilities.  Though we are diverse I know that each of us have the potential for greatness if we can remember who we are and what we are capable of.  Never forget who you are.

Be Proud of Who and What You Are Part Four: We need eachother

     Life is not meant to be a solo act, it is a team sport.  We are meant to work together primarily as husband and wife.  Men and women each have unique characteristics that allow each to do great things, but when we can humble ourselves enough to admit that we need the other we can accomplish truly amazing things.  We need someone to complement our strengths.  We each have weaknesses, but with the help of someone else those weaknesses can be covered.  Think of roof shingles.  Individually they have gaps and won't work to protect the house from water, but when the shingles are laid out properly the gaps of one shingle are covered by another shingle.

     "Why does that person that covers your weaknesses and watches your back have to be of the opposite sex?  Why can't I work with someone of my own sex?"  As I stated before men and women have natural strengths that work together in a way I can't fully understand.  If I could put it into words I would, but I can't.  As big as this world is there is someone out there that will fit you that is of the opposite sex.  Working together with that person will bring you more joy and greater success than you could ever hope to on your own or working with someone of your same sex.  Yes when I say working together I mean marriage.  Marriage is indeed something you have to work at, and it really will bring you the greatest joy.

     Look at men and women physically.  Look at all of nature physically.  In order for any species to survive the male and female have to come together.  The male and female fit together and each has something the other cannot give.  Males can't give milk to their young and females can't keep the young fed and warm while at the same time protecting the nest and gathering food for herself and her mate.  If men were meant to work best with men and women with women then nature would have evolved so that they could create life and sustain the species that way.  We are the way we are for a reason.