Airplanes, Assumptions, and Flying

My husband told me a story about himself and his brothers in which they participated in a paper airplane contest. The winner was the child who threw their plane the farthest. Distant was the goal. Everyone made their airplanes carefully, except my husband's brother, who simply crumpled up his piece of paper and threw it as far as he could. It went at least twice as far as any of the planes. He won the contest. (According to the relation of the story by my husband).

Upon hearing this account I imagined myself as a child in the same competition because I both love making paper airplanes and challenges. However, I found myself feeling very upset by the outcome of the competition. I felt as if he should not have won, because he did not make an airplane out of his paper. Apparently, I had assumptions about the rules of the competition and didn't recognize the limitless and boundless ideas that could have conspired due to these assumptions. If only I had known.

This got me thinking...

What assumptions about this life have I made that hold me back?

I watched a video today on Facebook that someone had posted of a US veteran who went from walking only with assistance to running freely, only after he changed his mind and stopped believing the doctors who told him he would never walk unassisted again and started believing he could.

What limitations do we place on ourselves?

I think the very first step to figuring out how to overcome the limitations we place on ourselves (or others put on us) or throwing aside the assumptions that life is a certain way is to start a journey of figuring out what it is we want from this life.

Start a Journey of self-discovery
This type of journey will have questions about you.
Who are you?
What makes you you?
The deeper you dig, the more you will find. Warning, this could be a vulnerable experience.
If you really ponder, who you are and what makes you you, you will go beyond the realm of what shows you like to watch, or books you enjoy reading, or what type of music is your favorite. This is about character. Are you honest? Are you compassionate? Are you faithful? Are you patient? Are you kind? There are hundreds of various characteristics to go through. Each time you come to one and really try to understand if that characteristic is a part of you, you will find yourself being tested in that very area.
This is a journey well worth the effort. Once you know yourself, you will discovery how much more clear the desires in your life are.

Once you know what you want, you have created a desire.

Desires can be powerful if we allow them to grow. The Book of Mormon prophet, Alma, teaches us about planting seeds. If ye have no more than a desire to believe, let this desire work in you.

You know what? Who am I to try to teach anyone about this. Alma says it best:

26 Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.

 27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

 28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

 29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

 30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.

 31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness.

 32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.

 33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.

 34 And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand.

 35 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?

 36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.

 37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.

 38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

 39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.

 40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.

 41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.

 42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

 43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.