Sleeping through the Restoration.

I've recently given up sleep.  It's overrated...according to my bladder and my overactive mind.  My body tends to disagree, especially around 2:00pm when Thomas is about to wake up from his nap and I suddenly can't keep my eyes open.

Anyways, I was reading a conference talk this morning, and I really needed it.  It's President Uchtdorf's talk entitled "Are You Sleeping through the Restoration?"

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

"Naturally, we all have a desire for recognition, and there is nothing wrong with relaxing and enjoying ourselves. But when seeking the “gain and praise of the world”⁴ is a central part of our motivation, we will miss the redemptive and joyful experiences that come when we give generously of ourselves to the work of the Lord."

"Those who wholeheartedly turn their lives over to our Savior and serve God and fellowman discover a richness and fulness to life that the selfish or egotistic will never experience. The unselfish give of themselves. These may be small gifts of charity that have a grand impact for good: a smile, a handshake, a hug, time spent in listening, a soft word of encouragement, or a gesture of caring. All these acts of kindness can change hearts and lives. When we take advantage of the unlimited opportunities to love and serve our fellowmen, including our spouse and family, our capacity to love God and to serve others will greatly increase."

"Addictions often begin subtly. Addictions are thin threads of repeated action that weave themselves into thick bonds of habit. Negative habits have the potential to become consuming addictions."

I think it's time for me to wake up and try to start spending my time more wisely.  I'm tired of spending my time feeling like I was half-awake all night and half-asleep all day.  From this talk, I learned that focusing on improving myself might not be the way to fix my time wasting problems.  I think service might be the key.