Everyone knows that the beginning of a new school year is pretty intense.  There are new classes to get used to, new people, different workloads...
Even busier is starting at a new school, because it's your first experience with that next level of course work.
And then, there's college.
University, actually.
Now, I took two years of community college and earned my Associate of Arts while I was finishing high school.  I really felt like I would be able to handle university because I had done college already; I do feel like I have it a little bit more together than others.  But there is so much going on!  It seems like every time I finish something, I missed two other assignments (and I have actually missed assignments already.  What the heck.).
Part of it is definitely trying to balance.  I have a big calling, I have SEVEN classes, a job, and a social life.  I know that I will be ok, but it's hard to focus on that when there is so much that I'm in the middle of right now.
So, because of this, I have decided to make myself a challenge.
Obviously, I am at BYU, which is THE PLACE for spiritual learning and growth.  All the priesthood blessings and church lessons I have ever heard encourage me to put the spiritual things first, and the rest will fall into place.  I've never really had enough to worry about that I needed to make sure that those were my priorities, but now I do.  I really feel that if I can focus on putting my personal spiritual habits first, and then do the things that pertain to my calling and to being an example of Christ, that all my other to-do's will happen.  That's the experiment I am going to try for the next two weeks (it's like personal progress all over again...).
I know that I meet goals a lot better if I have someone to hold me accountable, so to my one follower on this blog: you're it.  I want to see how much less stressed I feel at the end of two weeks if I try to put God and the specific things I feel that He has asked me to do before the other things that I have to do.
Those specific things are:

• daily personal scripture reading (not just for class)
• morning and evening prayers
• keeping the spirit with me so that I can find opportunities to serve my family, friends, ward members, and those I meet every day
• attending my meetings with a specific purpose in mind (including General Conference)

I'm really excited about this.  I have faith that it will work.  And now that I have it written down and posted into cyberspace, there is really nowhere for me to hide from it.
So here goes!