Yoga: The Building Block to a Healthier Life

Breathe in and out. Now reach up and back to the heart.

Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice that combines physical posture, breathing exercises and meditation.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health released that in 2017 9.5 percent (21 million) of U.S. adults participate in some form of Yoga.

Yoga, as of late, has taken the world by storm.

Different sports, schools, and organizations are adding yoga to training and programs.

There are more than 100 different forms of yoga. Yoga can range from gentle and slow to power yoga which is faster and much more challenging.

Runners are using yoga apart from their winter training to improve strength, flexibility and mental focus.

Yoga has many more positive effects when it comes to your overall well-being. According to runnersworld.com, yoga helps reduce stress, aids weight loss, eases the pain, helps people stick to an exercise routine and can even improve running times.

By increasing your flexibility, running becomes more efficient and injury free, said Adam St. Pierre, a coach, biomechanist, and exercise physiologist for the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine.

There are many different reasons that people try yoga for the first time. In a report by forbes.com, 61 percent tried yoga for flexibility, 56 percent said it was a stress relief and 49 percent said it was for general fitness.

In a recent study by Harvard Health, yoga can reduce the emotional and physical fatigue that is brought on by cancer treatment.

Yoga may also be increasing in the U.S. due to the fact that stress levels of Americans are at an all-time high, according to The American Psychological Association.

To fight the increasing levels of stress, elementary schools are implementing yoga into their daily routine.

Psychologist, Katherine Stone, said that children don’t have the same coping skills as many adults, with the daily ups and downs that life brings.

According to a study by Harvard Health, yoga can help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Jessica Gershen, a certified yoga instructor, said in an interview with Harvard Health, “Through yoga, kids start to realize that they are strong and they are able to take that strength, confidence, acceptance, and compassion out into the world.”

Either through child or adult yoga is making an impact on life across the country and becoming more a part of daily life.

Breathe in and out. Now reach up and back to the heart.

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 by Victoria Fowler Categories: Senior ProjectTags: health, mental health, physical health, relax, spiritual, strength, yoga Leave a comment

90 percent mental

​Running, a seemingly monotonous task to test physical strength is pushing many runners to see how far they can really go.

5K, 10K, half marathon, 25K, 30K marathon, ultra marathon, people are running harder and farther than before.

According to runnersworld.com, running is just as much as a mental exercise as it is physical.

Doctor and author of Lore of Running, Tim Noakes, mentions that it is the brain that allows or limits endurance performance rather than the body.

The brain is the machine that runs the show and orders the body on what to do and what not to do.

A study from the University of Birmingham in England created a theory saying that it is possible to trick the mind to allow the body to work harder.

When doing any endurance type activity there is always that extra push each person has in them even when they feel that they have nothing left.

If your muscles were truly exhausted, then doing that extra push wouldn’t be possible; it’s all a mental game.

The brain must be trained just as hard as the rest of the body when it comes to running and many other endurance exercises.

Noakes said in his book, “If you want to be competitive, you have to learn how to deal with the discomfort. A lot of the heavy, good physical training is about training the brain to cope with discomfort.”

An easy way to train the brain is to include training as a top priority to the list of things to do in the day. Having training scheduled in each day, allows your brain to think of it as a normal activity and not a painful experience.

Although, this isn’t something that is fixed after the first try, according to runnersworld.com practice makes perfect and with practice, you become more convinced of your ability to handle mental stress.

Professional athletes have put in hours of research into finding the perfect training regimen, not everything will work after the first minute of effort.

Another way to improve mental strength when it comes to physical strength is by keeping a record of what you’ve done.

According to Pew Research, only 60 percent of U.S. adults say they track their weight, diet or exercise routine.

Keep track of what you’re doing and push yourself more each day.

According to runnersgoal.com, you don’t have to have a PR every time you run, but practicing pushing yourself harder each time will increase mental and physical strength.

Mental fatigue generally comes before physical fatigue. Running is 90 percent mental; train your mind as much as you would train your body. ​

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 by Victoria Fowler Categories: Senior ProjectTags: exercise, fitness, health, mental health, physical health, running Leave a comment

Turn off the lights to see

It’s a clear night, not a cloud in the sky, a perfect night to look at the stars, except for one thing, there are no visible stars in the sky.

This is due to one contributing factor: light pollution.

Light pollution is the excessive use of artificial light. This is seen mostly in heavily populated areas. According to darksky.org, light pollution is the side effect of industrial civilization.

Sources of artificial light are interior and exterior lighting from buildings, illuminated advertising signs, commercial properties, factories, streetlights and illuminated sporting stadiums.

The International Dark-Sky Association shared four components of light pollution. These four components are glare, sky glow, light trespass, and clutter.

Glare is excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort. Sky glow is brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas. Light trespass is light falling where it is not intended or needed. Lastly, clutter is bright, confusing groupings of light sources.

The majority of light pollution that people are used to is light trespass. Many sources of outdoor light are either overly bright or poorly targeted. With this inefficient lighting, light pollution is made.

In an effort to give the stars their light again, the International Dark Sky Association is working with land managers and other organizations to develop Dark Sky Reserves.

Dark Sky Reserves, according to darksky.org, is a public or private land possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural, heritage and/or public enjoyment.

There are only 12 Dark Sky Reserves in the world and only one in the United States.

The single Dark Sky Reserve in the United States is located in Central Idaho and is approximately 1, 416 square miles.

The Idaho Dark Sky Reserve was designated in 2017 and has been an area of not only exclusion in the night, but hiking, backpacking, and horseback riding throughout the day.

There isn’t much space in the United States to have access to an off the grid experience. The Idaho Dark Sky Reserve is the place for the off the grid experience.

“Visitors can have a truly ‘off-grid’ experience, with access to neither electricity nor mobile phone service across thousands of square kilometers,” according to darksky.org.

The International Dark Sky Association has specific guidelines for Dark Sky Reserves, among those guidelines there are specific goals that the Dark Sky Reserve is attempting to meet with each reserve made.

A couple of the goals listed are to encourage land administrators, surrounding communities and private interests to identify dark skies as a valuable resource in need of proactive protection, also, to provide international recognition of such sites.

There are many ways you can prevent light pollution. One of those is buying certified outdoor lighting features.
 
Actions can also be made to develop lighting ordinances in your local communities.

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 by Victoria Fowler Categories: Senior ProjectTags: dark sky, environment, Idaho, light, light pollution, outdoor, outside, pollution, stars Leave a comment

National Park Fees on the Rise

The first National Park in the United States and the world celebrated its 146th birthday on March 1, 2018.

Resting on top of an active volcano, Yellowstone National Park has grown in many ways other than years since 1872.

Covering 3,472 square miles, home to 10,000 hydrothermal features, 500 active geysers, and 290 waterfalls, Yellowstone brings in millions from all over the world to visit its wonders.

Ever since the first visitor, Yellowstone has had a steady incline of visitors each year. In the last recorded year, according to the Yellowstone National Park visitation statistics, in 2017 4,116,525 people visited Yellowstone.

This growth is seen by looking 10 years prior in 2007 where the number of visitors was 3,151,343 people.

Since 2008 visitation at Yellowstone National Park has increased by 40 percent, according to the Yellowstone Insider.

This makes 2017 the second busiest year in Yellowstone history.

Although, due to this increase in visitation road systems have been poor and overcrowding is having an effect on the land.

Superintendent of Yellowstone, Dan Wenk, said in a press release that, “in order to make informed decisions about visitation we will gather visitor information in 2018 and 2019.”

Because of this increase in visitors to national parks, there have been suggestions of raising entrance fees during the “peak seasons” for 17 National Parks. Yellowstone National Park is listed to see an increase in the park entrance fee.

The current fee for a seven-day pass to Yellowstone is $30 per car. The proposed fee would be $70 per car.

Ryan Zinke, United States Interior Secretary, said that it is necessary to increase the entrance fee to national parks.

“The infrastructure of our national parks is aging and in need of renovation and restoration,” Zink said.

REI, a recreation gear company, opened a Facebook discussion on the proposed fee increase. There were many who agreed with Zinke on the park increase.

Although, not everyone is on board with this fee increase.

There has yet to be any decision made on the entrance fees for national parks. Currently, all prices remain the same as previous years of $30 for a single car.

In addition, to help accommodate an increase in visitors, the National Park Service is offering the option to purchase park passes digitally.

This new system is called “Your Pass Now”. You can go to whichever National Park you want to buy a pass for and fill out the pass and visitor info.

This offer also allows pass purchasers to buy the pass however far in advance they would like.

The park has approximately 1,000 miles of hiking trails, nine visitor centers/museums, more than 1,800 archeological sites and 52 picnic areas, according to nps.gov.

Even with the increase in visitation and the possibility of an increase in entrance fees, Yellowstone National Park offers different opportunities for each person who visits.

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 by Victoria Fowler Categories: Senior ProjectTags: fees, Grand Teton National Park, national parks, news, public lands, yellowstone Leave a comment

Land is Life: Environmental Rights Initiative

On March 6, 2018, the United Nations launched an environmental rights initiative.

This is in an effort to take a stand against ongoing threats, harassment, and murder of environmental defenders. This initiative is asking business communities to keep a clean and healthy environment.

In 2017, approximately four people a week were killed defending their right to a clean environment, according to unenvironment.org.

Check out the United Nation’s Environmental Rights Initiative video here:

According to a Pew Research study, one in five Americans always tries to show concern for the environment.

Although, the world is in an era where caring for the environment is a must.

The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research has released that there is strong evidence that environmental exposures, such as air pollution, affect gene expressions associated with respiratory diseases much more than genetic ancestry.

Air pollution kills more than six million people every year, according to the United Nations Environment webpage.

Air pollution comes from a variety of sources, such as vehicle emissions, wildfires, coal-fired power plants, etc. Supporting cleaner fuels and vehicles is one to fight the growing increase in air pollution.

There are many other ways that people can turn to help the environment and one of the easiest ways is recycling.

In a Pew Research study, 32 percent of U.S. adults say they are bothered, a great deal, by people throwing away things that could be recycled.

In that same study by Pew Research, it was noticed that what actually gets recycled varies by product type.

In 2013, 99 percent of lead-acid batteries, 88.5 percent of cardboard boxes, 67 percent of newspapers, 13.5 percent of plastic bags and 6.2 percent of small appliances were recycled in that year.

According to abc.net.au, a business in Australia is doing its part to reduce waste and benefit others.

FareShare is a kitchen that takes food that people would normally throw out and creates meals for those in need.

Most food that people deem is bad, in many cases isn’t. Although, tons of food each year is thrown out and then transported to landfills where it decomposes and produces methane gas.

FareShare has a goal of changing this. In 2017, FareShare cooked 1,158,569 meals and used 821 tons of food that could have gone to waste, according to fareshare.net.au.

“Violations of environmental rights have a profound impact on a wide variety of human rights, including the rights to life, self-determination, food, water, health, sanitation, housing, cultural, civil and political rights,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said in the press release.

The Environmental Rights Initiative will engage governments to strengthen institutional capacities to develop and implement policy and legal frameworks that protect environmental rights, according to unenvironemnt.org.

Environmental defenders all over the world are taking a stand because land is life.

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 by Victoria Fowler Categories: Senior ProjectTags: defend, earth, environment, land, outdoors, outside, planet, rights Leave a comment

Keep the focus where it needs to be

This article was written by Victoria Owens and Cinthya Rubio

Approved by a 5-4 vote of the Scroll Editorial Board.

#MeToo.

What seems like a simple hashtag was seen all throughout social media platforms the afternoon of Oct. 15 and into the morning of Oct. 16.

The origin of this hashtag began with activist Tarana Burke back in 1996, but actress Alyssa Milano began this movement on social media by asking all of those who had been sexually assaulted or harassed to post #MeToo after allegations of sexual assault had been made against Harvey Weinstein.

According to Twitter, #MeToo has been used 825,000 times since Sunday. Facebook said in less than 24 hours, about 5 million people had taken part in the conversation.

The point of the #MeToo is to bring awareness to the number of people, female or male, who have been sexually assaulted or harassed

We at Scroll believe now is the time to stand behind the women and men who have been sexually assaulted or harassed and keep the focus on them.

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 91 percent of the victims of rape and sexual assault are female, and 9 percent are male.

According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, there were about 13,000 charges of alleged sexual harassment in 2016. This report only included harassment allegations “if they are also alleged in a charge.”

In an article from The Washington Post, the author Lisa Bonos voiced that it seems as if everyone she knows has experienced sexual assault or sexual harassment.

“This doesn’t surprise the women reading this. It shouldn’t surprise men, either,” Bonos said. “While men have published supportive and well-meaning #IWill posts, in which they’ve promised to call out other men’s demeaning or predatory behavior, many clearly weren’t aware of the prevalence of the problem.”

Countering the #MeToo with, “but not all men have sexually abused or harassed someone” is equivalent to saying that we shouldn’t be concerned with Breast Cancer Awareness Month because not all people have breast cancer or there are other types of cancer out there.

We also saw this when the #BlackLivesMatter movement was created.

People were much more concerned in making sure everyone felt included and began to use #AllLivesMatter, removing the focus from the main point of #BlackLivesMatter.

Each of us is responsible to raise awareness of sexual violence in today’s society. It isn’t solely up to women, and it isn’t solely up to men.

This hashtag isn’t about pointing a finger at every single man in the entire world. This hashtag isn’t about accusing those who haven’t sexually assaulted or harassed someone.

This hashtag is about giving a wake-up call to thousands of men and women. This hashtag is about uniting those who have been sexually assaulted or harassed, so they know they are not alone. This hashtag is about taking a stand. This hashtag is about showing that sexual violence is all too common.

Women have just as much power in their voices as men do. And with this power women are standing up and sharing their own #MeToo.

 

The published article can be found at byuiscroll.org

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 by Victoria Fowler Categories: BYU-I Scroll, Personal WorkTags: focus, Me Too, power, sexual assault, voices, woman, women Leave a comment

Too early to celebrate? Booting laws changing in Idaho

On July 5, at the Rexburg City Council meeting, Madison County Deputy Prosecutor Rob Wood gave a presentation regarding booting and the amending of booting ordinance 911.

Wood brought forth at the meeting that booting is explicitly illegal by the state of Idaho through Idaho Code 49-229.

Idaho Code 49-229 reads, “…any person who temporarily or permanently preventing (a vehicle’s) useful operation, or for any purpose against the will or without the consent of the owner of the vehicle…shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.”

This means, starting July 21, those who remove their own boot will not be charged with a misdemeanor, but those who put on boots and apartment owners who issue boots will be charged.

Until that time, July 21, local law enforcement has the duty to enforce the law as it is.

In making his case, Wood laid out the alleged issues that come with booting. These issues range from the inconsistencies with community values to the infringement on property rights.

In his presentation to the city council, Wood said booting does not solve the problem when it comes to parking illegally.

According to State Code 49-1806 in regards to towing, “Any person having possession or control of real property who finds an unauthorized vehicle standing upon his property is permitted to have the vehicle removed.”

 

Mayor Jerry Merrill in an interview with KBYI Radio said that if booting is outlawed and towing is put back in its place, the repercussions for students may be worse.

“No one likes to be booted, but wouldn’t you rather be booted than towed?” Merrill asked.

Council Member Chris Mann said at the city council meeting that this problem is not truly eliminated until it is signed off that apartment complexes can tow cars.

Merrill said that apartment complexes should have students sign a contract that gives permission for their cars to be booted if they park illegally.

In contracts for Edge Creek Apartment complexes, which includes La Jolla, Heritage, Nauvoo House and Central Park Apartments, it reads that tenants should understand that they have the responsibility to inform guest of parking requirements. The contract continues by saying the tenants should understand that if they, or their guest park illegally then they are at risk of being booted or towed.

Rexburg Housing also has similar regulations which states parking enforcement contractors are authorized boot or tow any vehicle that violates rules laid out in the contract.

 

“From the city’s standpoint we’ve always felt like that this should be between the apartment owners/ managers and their tenants, and they are the ones that should manage their parking,” Merrill said. “We as the city don’t feel like we should be involved in their business, getting between them and the people who are parking there. We feel like that should be their business.”

Apartment managers are looking to start making changes.

Leah Flake, the manager at Greenbrier, Briarwood apartments and the Pincock, Chapman, Jacob’s and Whitfield houses, sent out an email to her tenants stating that “Due to a recent decision by the prosecutor of Rexburg, there will be no more booting in the parking lots. There will be towing instead of booting. Please make it a priority to keep your visitors from getting towed.”

The city council decided to end any further discussion on the topic until the entire city council could be present.

Merrill said the city plans to continue the discussion and see what other cities who still allow booting are doing.

“We are just trying to find our way and see,” Merrill said. “We don’t want to be doing something against Idaho Code.”            

For the time being, Merrill encourages students who do not have a parking permit for certain locations to not park there.

“At some point in time, we all need to grow up and realize that we can’t just do what we want sometimes because it’s more convenient,” Merrill said.

Merrill said choices do have consequences and when people make that choice (parking in unauthorized spots) they may have to face the consequences (being booted or towed).

“We are looking at changing our ordinance to just say that we are turning that authority over to landowners,” Merrill said.

Merrill said booting began to help students out with a cheaper alternative to towing and less of a hassle, but now we are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“If we take (booting) away, it could actually be worse than better,” Merrill said.

 

The published article can be found at byuiscroll.org

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 by Victoria Fowler Categories: BYU-I ScrollTags: booting, cars, city, laws, local laws, state laws Leave a comment

This land was made for you and me

Editorial Board voted 20-3

It all began in 1906: the protection of land.

From there, the Antiquities Act, the National Park Service, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Air Act, etc. were born.

As of January of this year, 417 units have been added in the National Park System, with 59 national parks, 87 national monuments and 78 national historical sites, all of which cover more than 84 million acres.

And now, in 2017, we want to shrink this number.

We, as Scroll staff, stand behind the protection of public lands and want it to be known that we do not support the selling or diminishing of these national monuments that shape so much of this country.

On April 26, President Trump signed an executive order that can lead to the reduction or complete elimination of national monuments created since 1996.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is in the process of reviewing the 27 national monuments that are in question and is planning to have this assessment done by the end of August, according to The New York Times.

One of the most discussed national monuments in question is Bears Ears in Utah.

Bears Ears doesn’t only offer great expanses of land for public use, such as exploration and recreation, but is also the home of many native tribes, according to the Patagonia webpage.

Bears Ears has become such a big topic because of its size, which is roughly 2,000 square miles and, according to npr.org, “…is said to be encroaching on the rights of Utah residents.”

The rights these residents are concerned about is their ability to develop oil and gas drilling in these areas, according to NPR.

On the other side, native tribes and users of the public lands are concerned about clean air and water and the protection of archaeological sites containing tribal artifacts, according to National Geographic.

The concerns these Utah residents are facing shouldn’t be a priority. More harm than good will come from oil and gas drilling in these areas.

The struggle here shouldn’t be about money, but that is where we are putting it. It should be about human life and the world around us.

With this monetary blindfold being placed over our eyes, it is hard to see the world around us and how our physical actions can affect not only the land and people now, but generations later if there is anything left.

Unfortunately, if we, in the words of President Trump, in his remarks at the Interior Department, “free it up” and “return control to the people” there would be more economic struggles and less care for the land.

Because the federal government owns a great deal of land, they also come with the responsibility of making decisions in regard to recreation, habitat and wildlife conservation, mining, logging, grazing and oil and gas drilling.

The federal government balances all of these aspects of balancing priorities and funding. This is something many states couldn’t afford to manage.

Revealnews.org reported that states couldn’t afford to manage this much public land unless they open more of it to natural resource extraction.

In a study produced by the Bureau of Economic and Business Research prepared by the University of Utah, Utah State University and Weber State University on the transfer of federal lands to the state in Utah found that a land transfer of this magnitude would mean a major shift in the current economic structure for the state.

This study also showed that the research included how public lands contribute to the economic growth of local economies and the quality of life of Utah citizens.

The review of national monuments to give the land back to the states shouldn’t be in consideration. According to headwaterseconomic.org, these states perform better on the economic stage with federally funded public lands.

We can begin taking a stand by signing the petition by Patagonia to support Bears Ears National Monument. Until July 9, you can speak up at bearsears.patagonia.com/take-action.

We must use our public lands for good and take a stand.

We need land that isn’t flooded with industry and poor air quality.

We need land that will last.

We need to sign petitions and our voices need to be heard.

We must protect our public lands.

We must remember the words from the famous song by Woody Guthrie, “This land was made for you and me.”

 

The published article can be found at byuiscroll.org

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 by Victoria Fowler Categories: BYU-I Scroll, Personal WorkTags: environment, national parks, outdoors, outside, protection, public lands Leave a comment

We are all called to serve

In Sister Oscarson’s 2017 General Conference address, she encourages each of us to turn to others in selfless service.

Oscarson said more and more of us are focused on the screens in our hands than the people around us.

“What good does it do to save the world if we neglect the needs of those closest to us and those whom we love most,” Oscarson said. “How much value is there in fixing the world, if the people around us are falling apart and we don’t notice? Heavenly Father may have placed those who need us closest to us, knowing that we are best suited to meet their needs.”

“Mormon Helping Hands vests and shirts have been worn by hundreds of thousands of selfless disciples of Jesus Christ who have embraced the opportunity to provide temporal service,” Sister Burton said. Linda K. Burton spoke in the April 2005 General Women’s Session on how true disciples may offer their willing hearts and helping hands to hasten His work.

According to Mormon Newsroom, around 7,500 Mormon Helping Hands volunteered to clean up and serve in Florida after Hurricane Irma.

President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints visited Florida, Naples and other affected areas from the hurricane.

While visiting Naples, President Eyring said to the volunteers, “Instead of worrying about their own problems, they are working for others. That man on the roof was taking care of his house and yet his sons are off taking care of other people. Thank you from the prophet, President Monson, if he were here. He’s always talked about [going] to the rescue, and here we really see everything he’s been asking for. Thank you.”

To date, the Church has sent 29 semitrailers to Florida loaded with food, water, emergency response equipment and cleaning and hygiene kits to provide relief.

President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke in the 2005 October General Conference “They have won the love and respect of those they have assisted,” said President Gordon B. Hinckley in the 2005 October General Conference about those who have worked with Mormon Helping Hands. “Their assistance has gone not only to members of the Church in trouble but to great numbers of those concerning whom no religious affiliation has been made.”

President Hinckley said those who participate with Mormon Helping Hands have followed the pattern of the Nephites, “They did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need.”

According to lds.org, “Through Mormon Helping Hands, youth and adults become more sensitive to the challenges others face. As Church members follow the example of the Savior in reaching out and helping others, their testimonies are strengthened.”

President Monson said he believes the Savior is telling us that “unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives.’”

The Church created JustServe.org in 2014 to connect volunteers with the needs of their community, as well as encourage collaboration with other service-minded people, according to LDS.org.

“While at times we are called upon to help after a major disaster, on a day-to-day basis we are encouraged to look for opportunities in our own areas to lift and help those in need,” Oscarson said.

Sister Oscarson encourages those to ask themselves, “Who needs me today?”

 

The published article can be found on byuiscroll.org

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 by Victoria Fowler Categories: BYU-I ScrollTags: general conference, helping hands, LDS, selfless, service Leave a comment

Prove everyone wrong

In my first five days back in Rexburg, I managed to back my car into a pole, drop a carton of eggs at Wal-Mart, sprain my ankle, pay rent, buy books, introduce myself in seven classes and become increasingly overwhelmed for the upcoming semester.

These five days weren’t filled with preparations, goal setting or much action at all.

For my first five days in Rexburg, I was passive. This is also exactly when I realized that I needed to get moving with my life and make something of myself.

I wasted five days. For 120 hours, I was a receiver. I took on everything that the world around me was spitting out and not at one point did I say, “This is my life, let me decide my path.”

Unlike my five days, Anshu Jamsenpa took action, broke records and beat the odds in just five days.

According to CNN, Jamsenpa was the first woman to ascend Mount Everest twice in five days.

Jamsenpa fought the opposition. Jamsenpa made the most of just five days.

She did more in just those five days than many of us have done in months. Not only did she conquer one of the most difficult hikes in the world, but she also is an example. Not only an example of perseverance and determination, but also an example to women around the world.

Jamsenpa didn’t give up when the weather became worse, when the trail was heavily trafficked or when there were issues with her oxygen mask. She had a goal and she was going to reach that goal no matter what.

Jamsenpa broke the mold and proved everyone wrong.

Far too often we are found stuck in ruts, lacking motivation and barely getting by. That is where the thought of going beyond the bare minimum is taxing, and this isn’t how it should be.

It has become “cool” to not care. Being uninterested won’t get you anywhere except right where you are.

As you start this new semester, move forward, climb mountains and share your passions, your hobbies, your likes, your favorite cereal or band. Those are things that people want to know about.

Tell others what you care about instead of what you don’t. Being “lukewarm” in a world of “hot” and “cold” won’t get you anywhere.

Embrace the new semester with full force and determination by becoming who you really are.

You aren’t where you are from, your major or a name. You are much more than that. You are where you are going and what you can do with the time that is given to you.

Take advantage of your time here at BYU-Idaho and become who you want to be.

F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “For what it’s worth: It’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.”

As we start this new semester we should push forward with determination and begin climbing our own Mount Everest.

Break the mold.

Try something new.

Prove everyone wrong.

Show the world what you are made of.

What will you do with your next 120 hours?

 

The published article can be found on byuiscroll.org

March 13, 2019 by Victoria Fowler Categories: BYU-I Scroll, Personal WorkTags: attitude, be you, college tips, goals, lifestyle Leave a comment