I've realized I've had a lot of experiences. I once did stand up comedy, I've been a security guard in the graveyard shift by myself, I've been to the ocean, I've flown in an airplane, I've seen Washington D.C. etc. I could go on and on, as most of us could. Have they all taught me something? Overall, no. Have they been good? Overall, yes. Should I stop asking questions to myself and then answering them? Probably.
As by the title you can see where I'm going with this blog. Experiences are great, but I think accomplishments are greater. Accomplishments are always experiences but not the other way around. This subject has been on my mind lately because I feel inclined to do more accomplishments in my life than experiences. The brethren in the church leadership have said-
I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the technique of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When you learn to master the principle of setting a goal, you will then be able to make a great difference in the results you attain in this life. -M. Russel Ballard
Looking back, I can see all my experiences vs accomplishments and can easily assess that I learned a great deal more from my accomplishments. This is because none of my accomplishments came without work and determination. But, my experiences often came and left without any real effort on my part, and left me with little more than a story or a quip.
My greatest accomplishment was probably being called as a missionary for the church, to go to San Diego, learn Spanish, and teach the word. This wasn't just sitting on the street corner and shouting random things about God, this was work. We had to go door to door, with an unknown companion, talk in a foreign language, to foreign people, about a religion foreign to them and have them actually accept a life changing message. We kept records of people we taught, how many lessons we taught, how many people we talked to, what their doubts were, and then report all this to authorities above us. This wasn't just preaching, it was a organized effort that required 24 hour vigilance and not only that you had to know what to say and how to say it in another language and I could go on. Was that an experience? Hell yes. Was it an accomplishment? Yes, but I regret not doing more.
