Just Do It! Dump Facebook! :)

Two days ago, I read Lauren Field's troubling article, "Should we fear the future of Facebook?", in the In Depth section of the Deseret News. Even though its subject is worrisome, I feel very strongly that everyone should read it and share it with their peeps!

After I finished the article, my mind instantly went to the family of my birth (and their spouses)—more than half of them are still active on Facebook. I composed an email to my peeps that included the article listed above and sent it right off.

I won't bore you with my entire email, but this is the first sentence I sent to my beloved Fam, "I just read this article about Fakebook and I'm convinced yet again that Facebook is NOT good for any of us!" I strongly encouraged my family members to read the article and delete their Facebook accounts!

Thus, I was super happy (and genuinely surprised!) to receive an email yesterday morning from my wonderful sister-in-law. She's been wanting delete her Facebook account for a while now, but kept hanging onto it for little reasons. Happily, she said the article I shared is what convinced her to finally "dump Facebook"! Yay yay happy day! Now I just need to get the rest of my extended family to break up with Facebook, too! Ha ha.

Don't worry, I'm not too pesky about trying to get them off of Facebook. I fully understand that everyone gets to choose how they live their lives. That said, I wonder if I might persuade some of you in the world wide web to dump Facebook, too? 😇

What really bothers me about Facebook's status these days (ha!) is that the company and its influence has grown much bigger, I think, than anyone ever planned on. I believe it's so big, in fact, that there are problem accounts/groups on Facebook that aren't being monitored properly. I don't think Facebook has the employee power or resources to handle the vastness that it's helped create in our www—not to mention the fallout that happens to its users in real life! And the fake news that engulfed Facebook users during the United States Presidential Election is downright scary!

Yes, I worry about a company that has that much access to its customers' personal lives. I totally worry about the tornado vacuums and virtual reality bubbles that Facebook has created in our society. That sounds extreme, but I believe Facebook's "social experiment" is far from over!

In fact, whenever I think of Mark Zuckerberg, my mind instantly goes to the cartoon, "Pinky and the Brain"—and Mr. Zuckerberg is Brain, just waiting to take over the world! Ha ha. For a fun visual, see this YouTube video: Pinky and the Brain intro.

Now I wouldn't necessarily call Mark Zuckerberg a literal genius, but he has accomplished what no one else could do—and on such a grand scale. So I give him props for that. But his great accomplishment certainly doesn't make me want to sign away my privacy and free time to him, that's for darn sure!

I realized that it's been two years to the day since I quit Facebook! (And I so did not plan my post this way! 😁)  As I look back over those two years, I'm amazed at how ecstatic I truly am—and continually feel(!)—that I dumped Facebook! Leaving Facebook behind really is one of the best social media decisions I've ever made! 😀

Of course I've found other ways to spend my social media time since leaving Facebook, but overall, I have a lot more free time! My brain is absolutely less cluttered—which means I have more time for researching other things I'm interested in or passionate about. My soul is so much less annoyed! I can honestly say that I'm a better person for having shunned Facebook! Yay me! 😄

If you're not yet tired of this subject, feel free to read more of my thoughts about Facebook and why I ended up leaving it—my previous posts are in chronological order:

"My Facebook Experiment"

"Unfriending vs. Unfollowing"

"Farewell, Facebook!"

I could go on and on about the dangers I see in Facebook (like I did to Greg yesterday morning!), but I'll refrain. Suffice it to say, I'm so happy I use Instagram and my blog to keep up with my friends and family! As I've said many times before, I wish everyone would write a blog! And I still deeply feel that way!

Yesterday, I watched an interesting TED Talk about blogging—clear back from 2006! While our social media society has drastically changed since then, the speaker's point—that everyone should be blogging about their lives—is as important today as it was 11 years ago! I totally agree with Mena Trott! Here's her talk if you're interested: "Meet the founder of the blog revolution."

Then, last night after dinner, I started watching the new documentary, "Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise" via our Roku's PBS channel. I was only about 15 minutes into it when I felt strongly that I needed to finish this creating this post instead.

But before I started writing again, I looked at the list of literary works Ms. Angelou created over her lifetime. I was impressed—okay, blown away!—to see all of her accomplishments! Yet in that very same moment, I felt the fire within me roar even stronger that everyone needs to be writing (i.e., blogging! 😍) about their lives as much as possible! Obviously, we shouldn't blog to the point of becoming unbalanced in our lives—we need moderation in all things, but each and every single one of us should absolutely be writing about our lives on a consistent basis.

In the end, I'll let my favorite hashtag of the day have some time in the Enthusiastic Fantastic spotlight. 😊 Yes, I'm all about the #neverfacebook movement! I thought I created that awesome hashtag, but according to Twitter, it's already been used to complain about Facebook many times! Ha ha. I hope you'll join me in my #neverfacebook "mission" and spread the word!

P.S. I had a lot of fun creating this typographic design!

*Update: 08/03/17:
To further support my ideas in this post, please watch this fascinating TED Talk, "The manipulative tricks tech companies use to capture your attention," by Tristan Harris. It will blow your mind! And then it will make you decide to take back your life and own your brain's attention! We all must fight being "controlled" by big tech companies!! #notgonnadoit! 😂

*Update: 09/28/17:
With all that's going on with Facebook in the news these days, here's another article that raises the alarm bells about Facebook. Fakebook is not good for our world!

"Facebook’s Frankenstein Moment,"by Kevin Roose of the New York Times.

*Update: 12/16/17:
Here are three more important, must-read articles that futher support my #neverfacebook! stance! 😊

"The End of the Social Era Can't Come Soon Enough"
It seems increasingly likely that our society will one day view our infatuation with Twitter, Facebook, and the like as a passing, often destructive fad.By Nick Bilton

"Sean Parker on Facebook: 'God only knows what it's doing to our children's brains'"
Parker says he’s become a 'conscientious objector' on social mediaBy Thuy Ong

"Social networking sites may be controlling your mind – here’s how to take charge"
By Simon McCarthy-Jones

Happiness Soulwork

Good evening! Today I taught the lesson in my ward's (congregation) Relief Society meeting. It was such a marvelous lesson(!): "Chapter 3: Cultivating an Attitude of Happiness and a Spirit of Optimism," Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley.

I had such a great time preparing for my lesson—I enjoyed every single minute of it! 😊 I've decided everyone should listen to "Cultivating an Attitude of Happiness and a Spirit of Optimism" (via the Internet {link above} or the Gospel Library app on your smartphone) once a quarter! President Hinckley is such an uplifting person, one can't help but become better by listening to his inspiring words!

I created a handout to go with my lesson because I wanted to give a resource to my ward sisters. We all talk about how we should choose happiness, but there are definitely times in our lives when things are very difficult. Sometimes, grand-scale tragedies happen, but most often, we simply must endure hardships, annoyances, disappointments, setbacks, frustrations, etc. Thus, after researching many articles, talks, books, and videos, I came up with my happiness soulwork handout! (soulwork meaning soul-homework. 😀) No, I didn't title it as exactly that, but my ward sisters got the gist of what I was presenting.

We didn't have time to go over my handout in class because our lesson time is only about 35–40 minutes. I truly wish I had two hours to go over my Relief Society lessons! You see, my ward is filled with amazing women with so much wisdom and insight to share about life. We could talk for dayz! Ha ha.

I'm so grateful my beloved church has given me the opportunity to teach! Many years ago, when we lived in Colorado, I used to get so nervous when it came to teaching adults. Yet here I am, 12 years later, where teaching anybody and everybody has become profoundly joyful to my soul! 😇 I love that I've changed for the better during my many varied life experiences, which simultaneously allows me to be a better teacher!

What thrilled me today was looking out over my ward sisters' faces and seeing them connect with what I was presenting. Yay! I loved seeing joy brighten their eyes! I loved seeing their "Aha!" light bulbs go on when they received insight to their precious souls!

Yes, friends, it's in moments like these (my experiences teaching Relief Society) when my heart is filled to overflowing with love for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! And when I say, "The Church," it 100% includes the souls that fill its ranks. I honestly, truly and deeply believe that my church is THE church of Jesus Christ—restored to the earth!

The Church's Relief Society program is divinely inspired to watch over, love, protect, teach, inspire, care for, and engage every woman on Earth! 😀 The Relief Society a way for every woman to feel connected with her spiritual sisters and have the opportunity to contribute love and service to others! It really is a perfect program for women to feel happy, united, and better themselves.

Late last night when Greg asked me how I felt about my lesson (I had been working on it for several hours yesterday, and preparing many days in advance), I told him, "I'm absolutely prepared in every way possible! So it's up to my sisters to utilize what I've prepared for them. It's their own darn fault if they don't take something positive from my lesson!" Ha ha.

Greg laughingly said, "Well, you have been preparing for this moment your entire life!" Yes, it's a little joke between us about how happy and optimistic I am and have been since I was a little baby...Enthusiastic Fantastic, anyone?! I totally laughed and said, "Yeah, what if teaching this lesson is the very reason for my existence?! What if I keel over and die after I finish teaching my lesson?!" 😂 Ha ha. Oh, it was so hilarious!

Anyway, just know that my heart swelled with happiness during and after I presented my Relief Socity lesson. I'm so grateful to know that my great efforts were absolutely useful and appreciated by my ward sisters!

Without further ado, here's my happiness soulwork handout...enjoy!

How to Bounce Back from Life’s Letdowns 

Advice from Dr. Matt Townsend—taken from KSL’s Studio 5 interview on 11/15/16 

Compiled and Edited by Adrie Peterson

Preface

Identity is defined as “the fact of being who or what a person is;” it is “the concept you develop about yourself that evolves over the course of your life.” I also believe our identities consist of who we choose to be. For example: I am Adrie, and the “pillars” of my identity are: wife; mother; homemaker; fitness enthusiast; writer; pianist; researcher; teacher; fashionista; artist; daughter; sister; granddaughter; aunt; friend; Mormon; Utahn; and a loving, happy, determined lady! 😀

What are your identity pillars? 

 1. Uncover Your Identity Story

a. Letdowns happen because something rocks your identity.
b. Fully examine your identity crisis—everyone has one at some point. Which part of your identity is crumbling?
c. We all need to feel that we’re lovable, capable, and secure—we struggle when one of those needs are in question.
d. Your subconscious holds onto issues because you feel the need to solve problems. Let go of your issue even if you haven’t solved the problem yet.
e. Usually, you don’t have all the information/data to judge every situation properly and have the correct perspective.
f. Reframe your identity story: define the most important parts of who you are.

 2. Stay in the Now

a. You no longer have your past, and your future isn’t here yet—don’t dwell on either.
b. Really feel the emotion and pain of your current experience—it will pass eventually, but don’t push through it too quickly.
c. Rethink what you’re feeling about life; what part of your identity story is in crisis? How can you positively change your perspective about yourself?

3. Connect to Your Highest Self

a. You are not what you’re “made of,” i.e., you are not your house, car, job, bank account, or relationship status.
b. Remember that you are deeply connected to Heavenly Father—you are His creation! 😊
c. What would you feel and think about if Heavenly Father or Jesus Christ came and talked with you—what would really matter?
d. Instead of thinking about what you’ve lost, ponder these questions: What is your greatest contribution to this world? What can you give our universe? What can you share of yourself that matters?

4. Convert Your Pain into Purpose

a. There are two ways to look at life: either this life is here to teach you, or this life is here to torture you.
b. Decide how you will view your life. Every day, internalize the idea, “I choose to be _________!” 😊
c. Ask yourself, “What can I learn from this experience?”

That's the end of Dr. Townsend's advice.

Additional Happiness Soulwork—read, watch or listen: 

I highly recommend all of these! 😀

• “Personality can be changed. A large number of scientific studies are piling up now showing that interventions exist to change personality, and that a change in personality has a direct effect on changes in happiness. What's more, a makeover in happiness can also affect our personality!” – Scott Barry Kaufman, “Which Personality Traits Are Most Predictive of Well-Being? The real link between personality and well-being,” Scientific American, January 21, 2017
• “How power of positive thinking works: Study looks at mechanics of optimism in reducing risk of dying prematurely,” by Karen Feldscher, Harvard Chan School Communications, Harvard Gazette, December 7, 2016
• “What Makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness,” by Robert Waldinger, TED Talks, November, 2015
• “How to Let Go and Move On,” by Psychologist Ellen Hendriksen, Scientific American, September 17, 2016
• “The Power of Your Words,” by Craig L. Manning, BYU Devotional, January 31, 2017
• “Finding Peace in Imperfection,” by Elizabeth Lloyd Lund, Ensign, February, 2017
• “Heaven is Here,” by Stephanie Nielson, Hyperion Books, 2012
• “Starting Today,” by Radiant, YouTube, April 11, 2014

Okay, I'm completely bushed, I need to go to bed now! I hope you all have a great day and enjoy your happiness soulwork!

P.S. Here's the typographic design I created for my previous Relief Society lesson. I know it doesn't exactly match this post about today's RS lesson, but I still love President Hinckley's words so much! I think it's safe to say that Gordon B. Hinckley was very certain that living happily and optimistically is the best thing we can do for ourselves and everyone around us! 😁 #letsbehappy!

Need to Reads

I was in the middle of composing an email to my extended family members, when all of a sudden, I felt inspired to transfer my email into a blog post, so I did. :)

Hi My Family! 

Recently, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has published essays/articles on controversial topics/issues (some more controversial than others) that many ex-Mormons and critics of The Church have talked about for years. 

I'm impressed The Church is willing to face these criticisms head-on. Thus, I've linked some of The Church's essays/articles—and a few others that were published previously—that I classify as Need to Reads. Even if you don't agree with The Church or its teachings, I hope you'll take time to read them, as they are filled with fascinating information. Have a wonderful day! 

Love, 

Adrie

• Are Mormons Christian?
• Book of Mormon and DNA Studies
• Citizenship
• Church Discipline: What is Church discipline?
• First Vision Accounts
• Journal of Discourses
• Mountain Meadows Massacre
• Race and the Priesthood
• Same-Sex Attraction
• Same-Sex Marriage
• Spaulding Manuscript
• The Church and Its Financial Independence
• Tithing and Fast Offerings
• Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham
• Women in the Church

Side note: In regard to The Church and its request for tithing and fast offering contributions, please let me say that I've always loved contributing financially to my church. I love knowing that my contributions are helping many people and programs! The benefits of The Church's welfare program and humanitarian aid/service is unmatched! In fact, check out The Church's Bishops' Central Storehouse, for it is a sight to behold. Its goods and services positively affect thousands, if not millions, of lives for the better!

Thus, I was pretty excited the other day when I came across this TED talk, How to Buy Happiness, by Michael Norton. His research proves that people are happier when they are monetarily charitable!! Therefore, people who pay tithing and fast offerings are happier...I know I am!



In case anyone is wondering, I have heard/read of the many and varied criticisms of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I don't live under a protective rock, or with my head in insulating sand. That said, I'm a deeply spiritual person.

I pray to our Heavenly Father. Oh, how I pray! I study and think deeply about the scriptures and other Church publications. I exercise faith. I read or listen to others' spiritual accounts. I attend and serve in The Church and its temples. I've had multiple amazing spiritual experiences that no one could ever take from me! My spiritual experiences have no earthly explanation, but I know I've been, and continue to be, inspired by the Holy Ghost and angels—who speak by the power of the Holy Ghost (2 Nephi 32:3). I honestly believe my spiritual experiences have been given to me by our loving Heavenly Father, and made possible through our Savior, Jesus Christ. My spirituality surpasses the criticisms of The Church.

Because of my faith and spiritual experiences, I absolutely believe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true and correct church on the earth, and that it operates through divine inspiration and revelation. (I hesitate to write I know because I've seen how it turns-off some people.) 

So, here's what I say to those whose testimonies (of the truthfulness of what The Church is and teaches) are faltering:

• Pray.
• Read the scriptures and other Church publications.
• Fast.
• Watch or listen to General Conference.
• Attend the temple, if possible.
• Exercise hope and faith!
• Faithfully follow what The Church teaches and see what blessings and miracles occur in your lives!

Until you are able to stand firmly in your own testimony, lean on those around you. Slowly, but surely, you'll have the strength you were seeking. To help you in your journey, may I suggest checking out these two wonderful General Conference talks? They are worth everyone's time! :)

• “Lord, I Believe”, by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
• Come, Join with Us, by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

To go along with President Uchtdorf's talk, I just read a lovely blog post You Can't Sit By Us, by Meg Johnson. She makes such a great point that we all need to have an inviting countenance (face/eyes/spirit), so others will feel welcome to join us! *That said, I understand how sometimes shyness or a lack of confidence can appear to others as snootiness or snobbery, for I have been accused of this in my life. Let's just do the best we can at making others feel welcome! :)

Lastly, please remember that people are so not perfect, including church leaders that many people highly respect and love. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, was literally the only perfect person who ever lived on Earth. Remembering everyone's tendencies toward imperfection has helped me remain faithful to The Gospel of Jesus Christ, and continue my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For it is only through the atonement of our Savior that we can eventually be perfected.

Moroni 10:32 says we should "come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny [our]selves of all ungodliness; and if [we] shall deny [our]selves of all ungodliness, and love God with all [our] might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for [us], that by his grace [we] may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God [we] are perfect in Christ, [we] can in nowise deny the power of God." Yes, we imperfect people can make better choices, and possibly impact others' lives for the better!

I look at it like this: If I can be imperfect (I'm so imperfect!) and still have amazing spiritual/inspiring/revelatory experiences, so can The Church's leaders! I strongly believe they are spiritually connected to the Lord because I have experienced those wonderful spiritual connections myself. The Church's leaders truly have the members' best and eternal interests at heart.

Every single one of us has been born with the Light of Christ in our souls. We all have the potential for spiritual greatness if we're simply willing to humble ourselves and make the necessary sacrifices!

P.S. I'm so pleased with how my typographic design turned out! It feels super yummy to me, which is exactly how I feel about my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and all of the benefits that come with it! Yes, readers, membership definitely has its privileges! ;)

Untied

Yesterday afternoon, I learned that I have been tying my shoes incorrectly! Maybe many of you have already heard about the correct way to tie your shoelaces, but I was completely clueless. How did I find out about this life-changing information, you ask? Well, I watched this (short) original TED video on Netflix, given by Terry Moore, from 2005:

After I picked up my kids from school, I had my entire little family watch the video too. We actually had to watch it several times to make sure we were doing it correctly. We also figured out some pretty interesting things about ourselves. Read on! :)

1. My daughter and I have been tying our shoes incorrectly, but my husband and youngest son have been tying them correctly. I said to Greg, "Good job! Your parents weren't dorks!" Ha ha. Just kidding! I just find it fascinating that some families got the shoelace tying right from the beginning, while others got it wrong. (Or, maybe it was just me?!)
2. Even more interesting was the fact that even though I'm right handed, I've been tying my shoes left-handed because my mother is left-handed! So intriguing, right?!
3. Additionally, even though my daughter and I have been tying our shoes incorrectly, we've also been mirror images of each other! I have no idea how this happened??? I fully would have expected her to tie her shoes exactly like me - you know, like how I copied my left-handed mother exactly. Maybe this means my daughter will be a strong individual? Maybe it also means that I'm reading way too much into a shoelace tying experiment. ;)
4. We discovered that my youngest son has been doing his initial start of the shoe-tie backwards, so when he creates the loop the way Mr. Moore does on his first try (where it's wrong), the overall effect is actually correct! Say what?! I seriously don't know how our son chose to change the way he ties his shoelaces from what Greg and I taught him. What a fortuitous mistake he made! :)
5. My oldest son wanted nothing to do with our little family shoelace tying experiment. He just shook his head at us and happily went back to eating his Peanut M&Ms and watching his tablet. This shows me that he's officially in the, "My parents are lame." mode of teenagerhood. I'm pretty sure teenagerhood isn't a legitimate word, but I'm using it anyway. Hey, if Dr. Seuss can make up words, so can I! Ha ha.

Yep, fascinating.

After our family shoelace tying experiment was complete, Greg said to me, "That's it. I'm going to back to Velcro shoes." I laughed and said, "Just like an old man!"

*I mean no disrespect to the older generation with my comment, for I know we'll be a part of that classification in just a few short decades! It was just super funny to think of my hot, Nike-basketball-shoe-wearing husband reverting to big Velcro-fastened sneakers! ;) See his shoes below for effect. Yes, I created this lovely photo all by me'self! (Sorry, I don't mean to brag, I just really really love it!)

I know our family experiment yesterday made an impact on my children, because during the car ride to school this morning, my daughter very happily told me, "Mom, my tennis shoes are tied nice and tight - the right way!" Yes, folks, it's the little things that matter so much. :)

I sincerely hope everyone can save themselves the hassle of retying or double-knotting their shoes throughout the day, for I know Terry Moore's short three-minute video has changed my life for the better!

Also, I'm very happy this TED video initiated such a fun discussion between the members of my little family - it's something we'll remember forever! Thank you, Mr. Moore!!!