Sunrise Goal

10,000 Sunrises To Learn About The Transformation From Darkness To Light

[sunrisegoal]

#909 i’m noticing the sunrise as it immediately crosses the horizon and the effect it has visually through/on my eyelashes. It makes an almost bird or butterfly like shape. also the kids wanted Ramen for breakfast this morning. They got a pack of spicy Ramen out for me I felt compelled to eat it. The problem is I started coughing and a chunk of blazing hot noodle went straight into my nose. I’m still not sure how those are connected… had it been a long enough piece I might have been able to follow the thread…Anyway it was as though I wasn’t already crying when it got caught up there. Fear not! The noodle has been dislodged and peace has been restored. #spicyramen #breakfastnoodles #sunrisethoughts #journal #sunrise #solosunrise #morninglighteffects (at Logan, Utah) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj29EIDL3gy/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[sunrisegoal]

One of the most incredible events in the history of the world took place, surprisingly, in 2020. It happened at an apartment in a small farm & college town located in the west. There was a man interacting with a young boy. The boy had noticed a mechanical object protruding from the middle of the wall centrally located inside the building. His curiosity was awoken and he approached it without any awareness of its function or purpose nor how to engage with it effectively. The man showed the young boy a way in which to take advantage of its utility. The boy didn’t seem to understand, despite the best efforts of the man to convince him of its usefulness. The man met often with the young boy. Many attempts were made at revealing the purpose and function of the simple mechanical object to the young boy. He made little progress as time went on, but the man was persistent. Finally, like a light switch, the young boy made the connection the man had been hoping for...he turned on the light. He didn’t learn it right away, but eventually through my consistent effort and time with him, my 1 year old son finally made the connection that he can turn on a light switch. Ultimately my goal is to teach this boy every way that I know of for adding light into your own life through choice and action. 
 The reason I share this is because one of my greatest negative beliefs about myself is that I will not do anything important or meaningful to ripple throughout the eternities. This story is a reminder to illustrate that I already have. I know that I’m not the only person has had this fear creep into their mind. We have to realize there is so much power even when we influence a single person. Especially if it’s our own children. Shout out to all the stay at home Moms and Dads out there wondering if they are making a difference!!! One ripple of light in one meaningful life! #sunrise #sunrisegoal #wholehearted #lovestrong #proudpapa #oneyearold #sunrisewithmyson #onerippleonelife #chooselight @love.strong.organization (at Logan, Utah) https://www.instagram.com/p/CE4bSiBlcbu/?igshid=k00lvxpfscly

[sunrisegoal]

The air in our valley has been incredibly smoky for much of the summer. While Utah has had some wildfires throughout the state, we've had our skies filled with even more smoke from California. It's amazing how connected this world is whether we want it to be or not. The wildfires taking place in California are a scourge to their enviroment creating a ripple effect for every surrounding state and further on. An event hundreds of miles away can lay a blanket of haze and darkness in your own life. We are all connected. This statement feels truer to me everyday that I live. I believe our actions for good or bad create a ripple effect that carries on eternally in all directions. That's why it is so important to choose light, to choose to be a force for good. Even doing that on a small level for just one person can make our world a better place. “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” - Mother Teresa #itsnotjustyourworld #theworldisconnected #sunrisegoal #sunrise #wildfiresseason #californiawildfires #addonemoredropofkindness @love.strong.organization #chooselightandlove #lovecreatesripples (at Logan, Utah) https://www.instagram.com/p/CE2pN8QlLMq/?igshid=zkojrlxs1vxx

[sunrisegoal]

There was a Siamese kitten that appeared out of the tall grass this morning. It was playful and curious. It explored, jumped, and bounded all around (super fun to watch). At some point I noticed it kept going back to one specific place next to the tall grass. It looked like there was something dark on the ground near it. On my way out I approached the spot to see what the dark object was. From what I could tell, it was a carcass of another Siamese cat. Without speculating too much on what could have taken place in this scenario, my mind was fixed on the idea that these 2 cats were related and the surviving kitten was at a loss as to what to do now being alone. It made my heart yearn for anyone who had experienced that type of loss. Whether from death, divorce or any other type of separation. I love and believe so fully in connection that separation in any form stings my heart. I’m reminded of my grandmother who passed away last year after surviving the love of her life by 18+ years. I remember her saying to me at different points that she missed him badly. While I miss her and feel the pain of the divide between her and me, I am grateful that it came with the blessing of her being with my grandpa once more. That is another type of sunrise in a way. I miss you Grandma French! #loveyourgrandparents #sunrise #connectionisthegreatest #sunrisegoal #solosunrise #lossofalovedone #itshardtoletgosometimes (at Logan, Utah) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEu1o4pF6ZY/?igshid=qby0px5ytd1d

[sunrisegoal]

“It's the ability to see. Light is a form of warmth and security...In darkness, I feel confusion and frustration and loss or feeling lost. Especially this morning [hiking to the top of a mountain] ]as we started out at 4 o'clock and it was dark and there was no ability to see, stumbling over rocks and the struggles in the way. And yet once we turned on a flashlight, once the sun started to come up, there was a degree of confidence in comfortability that, ‘OK now I can see where I'm at. In this process I feel comfortable and confident that I'm moving in the right direction’. So, I don't have a definition. I just know it when I see it and the way that it makes me feel. I have experienced sunrises mostly in moving from darkness to a sense of light and an understanding. Looking back, when Bri and I were dating it was nice. It was enjoyable. I enjoyed being with her and I enjoyed our conversations but it wasn't until, much like when the sun crests and there's that ability to see everything, until I committed that I was going to marry her... It was kind of dusk. That pre dawn light. There was a degree of uncertainty, but once I committed to her and I'm talking about proposing, staying engaged to the point of getting married...And even throughout all of these challenges that we have faced over these 18 years it has felt as a sunrise, a new dawn, a new experience has provided light and warmth and comfort and confidence that I have made the right decision. I have had times when I have committed to God, committed to Bri, committed to a job... That is when it feels like there is an outpouring of comfort and confidence and I'm moving in the right direction. And I think that Heavenly Father waits to give that to us until we have made that decision. The light is just on the other side of the horizon.” #sunrise #sunrisegoal #sunriseinterview #wholehearted #lovestrong #tablerockhiketetons #makethecommitment #lightanddarkness #lightisontheothersideofthehorizon @love.strong.organization (at Table Rock, Wyoming) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEmjW7-l2GP/?igshid=132ik72jdaz1a

[sunrisegoal]

“If you’re depressed, you've got to bring yourself back into the lightness to remember why you're here and no matter how many stresses are put on you in a day. I've been really positive lately and I'm becoming a different person. I really like myself this way and I’m happier. I laugh more. I visit with more people and I'm not as hesitant to keep my mouth shut. I open my mouth and I talk. Yesterday, I had a hard day. It's going to happen. My best friend's father passed away on Monday. She's been very not happy. She's not the same religion. She doesn't understand death like I do. Dark can be the trials that are put on us and how we respond and react and instead of saying, ‘It was a bad day’, I'm trying to say, ‘It was a challenging day’, or, ‘It was a learning day’. Today I learned something because I don't want to make it bad. Everyone says ‘bad’. It's not a bad day ever as I see it. Cory [my husband] has always been such a positive force and a positive influence. He's always been even kiltered, but me, I've been up and down.” Why do you choose positivity? “I have to say it, it's North Dakota. The people up here are just so positive. They never complain about anything and if it's a complaint they always say, ‘It's been unfortunate but we've been blessed’. Everyone says that up here. I've been having friends that have actually been going through trials in their life but they don't post negative things, they post positive words. And it's been so then that's why I started by capturing comments and I’m able to read through them, praying. I read the scriptures. That brought me out of a lot of my sadness that I have felt. But looking at the worldly things and getting onto more positive feeds and getting rid of everything negative has helped me turn myself around. And then, I think the older you get the more wisdom you get and those[trials] are trivial things. I wish I would've learned that earlier in life. I think that with getting older, those things don't matter as much.” #sunrisegoal #sunriseinterview #sunrise #auntsareawesome #neverabadday #choosehope #learnfromyourexperiences #choosethelight #wholeheartedliving @love.strong.organization (at Williston, North Dakota) https://www.instagram.com/p/CECRVDGjEot/?igshid=1f8zggnarnu0k

[sunrisegoal]

“If you’re depressed, you've got to bring yourself back into the lightness to remember why you're here and no matter how many stresses are put on you in a day. I've been really positive lately and I'm becoming a different person. I really like myself this way and I’m happier. I laugh more. I visit with more people and I'm not as hesitant to keep my mouth shut. I open my mouth and I talk. Yesterday, I had a hard day. It's going to happen. My best friend's father passed away on Monday. She's been very not happy. She's not the same religion. She doesn't understand death like I do. Dark can be the trials that are put on us and how we respond and react and instead of saying, ‘It was a bad day’, I'm trying to say, ‘It was a challenging day’, or, ‘It was a learning day’. Today I learned something because I don't want to make it bad. Everyone says ‘bad’. It's not a bad day ever as I see it. Cory [my husband] has always been such a positive force and a positive influence. He's always been even kiltered, but me, I've been up and down.” Why do you choose positivity? “I have to say it, it's North Dakota. The people up here are just so positive. They never complain about anything and if it's a complaint they always say, ‘It's been unfortunate but we've been blessed’. Everyone says that up here. I've been having friends that have actually been going through trials in their life but they don't post negative things, they post positive words. That's why I started by capturing comments and I’m able to read through them, praying. I read the scriptures. That brought me out of a lot of my sadness that I have felt. But looking at the worldly things and getting onto more positive feeds and getting rid of everything negative has helped me turn myself around. And then, I think the older you get the more wisdom you get and those[trials] are trivial things. I wish I would've learned that earlier in life. I think that with getting older, those things don't matter as much.” #sunrisegoal #sunriseinterview #sunrise #auntsareawesome #neverabadday #choosehope #learnfromyourexperiences #choosethelight #wholeheartedliving @love.strong.organization (at Williston, North Dakota) https://www.instagram.com/p/CECP0e4jSod/?igshid=15vc42ilm519r

[sunrisegoal]

“I lost a really good friend about a year after Russ and I got married. Growing up we were kind of like brother and sister and super close in high school. He was probably one of my best friends. He found himself through God and became super faithful. He became very serious about it in college. This is just me being a butt hole, haha, but I had a hard time believing he was that happy and that joyful. It came across as fake to me at first because I had always known him and it was a different side of him that I hadn't seen before. We had a conversation that made me uncomfortable before he passed away...One of the questions he asked was if Russell and I had found God together. I took it the wrong way. I was like, ‘I know you, I love you, but I'm really having a hard time understanding where you're coming from’. I hate that, now, because he died suddenly...one of the last conversations I had with him was one of those heart to heart talks that could have been amazing...and I was completely closed off. When he died, I was confused, ’why would he be somebody who died?’. That just didn't seem right because it was tragic. That was hard. I spent time after that trying to understand what I was supposed to take from it. I feel strongly that he was trying to teach me something and I wasn’t open to it at the time. There were years that I couldn't go to church without crying,I couldn't even step foot in there. I mean that's not what I thought would have come from him passing away. That's where I felt overwhelmed. For a long time he was kind of my link to my faith. I'm still mourning him in many ways. But I feel like he’s taught me so much about being open. I truly believe, now, that he was being real, that he was really that joyful and really had found that much love, peace and joy. That opened me up a lot to trying not to assume that I know what's going on with people. I try to understand and patient, meet people where they're at, be curious and open instead of suspicious and disbelieving.” #sunrise #sunrisegoal #sunriseinterview #reconnectingwithfriends #haveanopenheart #lifelessons #losingafriend #growinginfaith #meetpeoplewheretheyareat @love.strong.organization (at Tallahassee, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDzRw3ul4hm/?igshid=p83gxzhiya54

[sunrisegoal]

“I lost a really good friend about a year after Russ and I got married. Growing up we were kind of like brother and sister and super close in high school. He was probably one of my best friends. He found himself through God and became super faithful. He became very serious about it in college. This is just me being a butt hole, haha, but I had a hard time believing he was that happy and that joyful. It came across as fake to me at first because I had always known him and it was a different side of him that I hadn't seen before. We had a conversation that made me uncomfortable before he passed away...One of the questions he asked was if Russell and I had found God together. I took it the wrong way. I was like, ‘I know you, I love you, but I'm really having a hard time understanding where you're coming from’. I hate that, now, because he died suddenly...one of the last conversations I had with him was one of those heart to heart talks that could have been amazing...and I was completely closed off. When he died, I was confused, ’why would he be somebody who died?’. That just didn't seem right because it was tragic. That was hard. I spent time after that trying to understand what I was supposed to take from it. I feel strongly that he was trying to teach me something and I wasn’t open to it at the time. There were years that I couldn't go to church without crying,I couldn't even step foot in there. I mean that's not what I thought would have come from him passing away. That's where I felt overwhelmed. For a long time he was kind of my link to my faith. I'm still mourning him in many ways. But I feel like he’s taught me so much about being open. I truly believe, now, that he was being real, that he was really that joyful and really had found that much love, peace and joy. That opened me up a lot to trying not to assume that I know what's going on with people. I try to understand and be patient and come to people where they're at, just be curious and open instead of suspicious and disbelieving.” #sunrise #sunrisegoal #sunriseinterview #reconnectingwithfriends #haveanopenheart #lifelessons #losingafriend #growinginfaith #meetpeoplewheretheyareat @love.strong.organization (at Tallahassee, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDzM7ukl1kQ/?igshid=1b7j647eo7rqa

[sunrisegoal]

“I’ve had trials in my life that could have led to really long periods of darkness and misdirection. When I was in high school I lost a family member that was really young and that really affected me. Then my parents divorced about the same time James and I got married. And a few years ago our home was flooded. We had like four feet of water in our home and it was kind of devastating. And I think to some people those might seem really small but like those trials could have led to big periods of darkness in my life. And it's like somehow in each of those there was someone or something or just some act of God that helped me not give in to those periods of darkness. That could have been really challenging and kind of helps me gain perspective like, ‘This is going to be okay. Learn from this, grow from this. Don't let it shadow out the good things in your life.’ Hurricane Florence in 2018 You never really know how big a natural disaster like that can be like until it happens to you. You know you always hear about these mass destructive things on the news but in life that never happens to you. I don't think you feel the full effects of it. We went downstairs at 2:00 a.m. and the doors cracked open and water just flooded and it took us a year to recuperate fully. And you know it was one of those things where we just there's absolutely nothing you could do about it. It was a period of rebuilding and like, ‘why would this happen to us?’, and things like that. And you have to push those dark thoughts aside and say, ‘How is this going to make us better? How is this going to teach us?’ It's an experience that made me stronger. I think just because it was such a huge deal. I think that it made my relationship with my husband stronger just because we had to get through it together. His family supported us a lot through that and gave us a lot of help. We had to rely on Heavenly Father like, ‘Why am I going through this? What's going to happen?’ You know. It was just like mass destruction in our area. #sunrise #sunrisegoalinterview #sunrisegoal #connectiontofriends #northcarolina #hurricaneflooding #familyiseverything #mountainstoclimb @love.strong.organization (at Trent River) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDw6cwyFlbI/?igshid=1a144x30twnvf

[sunrisegoal]

“Light is really hope and warmth. The sun rises every day and I think that is a metaphor for hope for when we feel down or when we wonder if things are gonna be OK. There will always be hope within light and there will always be a new day and the sun will rise again. I love that in the scriptures where it says “a perfect brightness of hope”. There's been so many times in my life where I've thought, ‘If I can just get through this day’, or, ‘if I can just get through this week’, or, ‘If I can just get through this year’. (Right now it's like, ‘if I get through this year!”) There's definitely been times where I felt that I'm saddled with this lot and this is just how it's going to be. Then I realize that there is hope, there is a new day. I've had people in my life that I've tried to hold on to for the sake of sentiment and past friendship. And then I realized like I'm holding onto something that's not there anymore. They've moved on, I've moved on or, I think, ‘I really shouldn't be with this person’. It's taken a little bit of time to realize that you don't need to wallow or try to hold onto things that aren't bringing you light. I've always had a strained relationship with my one of my sister in laws and it’s one of those things where it's like, ‘well she's my sister like I just have to deal with it’. She was very mean to our family especially to me and my mom. It was like we were always walking eggshells around her. She would use her kids as bargaining chips and it was hard to deal with. I've always tried my best to get along with her.I know that we have to love and forgive everyone... which is hard to do. She was very controlling. But it turns out they're getting a divorce. It's kind of embarrassing, but I have felt so much lighter and relieved because of it. So that's that's brought me a lot of hope. Since she asked for the divorce it's been very peaceful and it's just been fun. I feel like I've gotten my brother back!" #sunrise #sunrisegoal #sunrisegoalinterview #reconnectingwithfriends #beautifulmorning #newhampshiresunrise #divorcecanbegood #tryingtobefriends #familyishard @love.strong.organization (at Kingston, New Hampshire) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDul1nVlvcx/?igshid=ramypjpmtilh

[sunrisegoal]

“Darkness is when things are confusing and scary and you are not sure what to do. Light is when you feel like there is hope and things are going to be okay. I have experienced sunrises in my life. They happen sometimes daily and weekly and in the really big defining moments.” One of the most amazing things about this morning is that Jared and I hadn’t seen each other for a few years. In that time, we had both experienced big sweeping nights of darkness and burst of light just as he referred to above. It’s amazing to me what all go through to learn more about our true identity. Thanks for sharing so much goodness this morning, Jared! Also, Jared shared a really incredible music composition with me that he had been dreaming up for years around the time when we watched our first sunrise together. It’s pretty epic and absolutely masterful. You can follow him on Instagram to hear some of what one talking about! @jaredstarrviolin #sunrisegoal #sunriseinterview #learningaboutlight #brotherlylove #reconnectwithgoodpeople #thisdudeisamasterofmusic (at Bountiful Pond) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDr41EbFz_h/?igshid=zqfvg1g98y1t

[sunrisegoal]

Not every morning is full of wisdom and inspiration. Sometimes you’re just sitting quietly and noticing the things around you. I’m grateful for the summer we’ve had so far. #solosunrise (at Logan, Utah) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDjnCARFgmL/?igshid=4rw3joq6s3zn

[sunrisegoal]

"I played a lot of sports growing up. When I got to the high school level, I decided that I didn't want to anymore. That was hard to walk away from. I quit playing sports my sophomore year and joined show choir. It was a lot of fun. I recognized that it was hard for me to not play sports anymore, but It was the first time that I was able to branch off and do my own thing and do something different than what my family was doing or expecting me to do. I think that it has coming full circle in my life because my daughter just found out she didn’t make the high school soccer team and she is in this kind of funk right now. I can see that this is a potentially pivotal time in her life because I look back and see that it was for me. I got cut my 9th grade year and That gave me an opportunity to try something else and grow in a different direction. I see her in that same space." "It’s caused me to reflect on my own growth. It’s important to do your own thing and branch out, to find your passions, your place in the world. It’s important for people to be passionate about what they’re doing, whether is with your job or raising your family. If you’re not passionate about it, you’re not going to do as well. I’ve really enjoyed getting into computer programming. When I build something at work, I get excited about it. I go home and show my wife or I'll tell my boss about it, "Hey, look at this thing I just made!". I think having that passion is important. Rather than dealing with your job just because it’s a paycheck and going home and only seeing stress there. If you can find passion in it, it just brings so much more enrichment to your life." #sunrisegoal #sunrisecompanion #sunrisegoalinterview #lovestrong #findpassioninyourpurpose #makechangesnotexcuses #dosomethingtoday #emblemengravingyouridentity #enrichyourlife #wholehearted @love.strong.organization (at Mantua Resoviour) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDg8xH6FE_r/?igshid=sppecc72znre

[sunrisegoal]

“Last year I was trying to embrace vulnerability. As far as transformation, goes It was one of the biggest in my life, when I decided to honor my heart and step into my own beliefs (different than what I grew up with). I decided to honor what was going on between my heart and my mind. And not push it away for the sake of making everyone else comfortable, for the sake of pleasing everyone else. I had to really dig deep. It was scary but also liberating at the same time. I can choose whatever makes sense for me based on what I’ve experienced and learned, the way I see people, the way I see God, rather than rely on someone else from their own perspective. I want to live from an awe-inspiring approach, We don’t have all the answers. We don’t know it all. I’m still finding, I’m still learning. It’s not like, “I’ve Arrived”. But I feel awakened and peaceful. Even though it’s been a hard process, gut wrenching at points, it got me to a place of happiness and contentment that I hadn’t felt completely before. I feel like I’m now much more in tune to make decisions, not out of obligation but out my own experience. I want my children to honor their heart and their core belief rather than just stay in something to make me happy. Ultimately that’s love.” What is your view of Light and Dark? “I like them both. To me it’s all about the balance. I feel like light gets a lot of attention. Darkness has a lot of great qualities. Darkness can help us reach within ourselves. We’re taught to be scared in the dark rather than accept it. It’s also needed. As much as light is needed. The balance of them is what’s more important. Not that one is good or bad. If we are always trying to chase away the dark, then we may miss some parts that are awe-inspiring. I feel like some of the things in life that I don’t understand are some of the most awe-inspiring . I love to be in a place of awe. There are things that I don’t know for sure. It helps motivate me to live in the present moment, to live my best life.” #sunrisegoal #lightanddark #yinyang #balanceinallthings #owningyourbeliefs #vulnerabilitywithfamily #liveaweinspired #talkwithpeople #changeandtransformation @love.strong.organization (at South Jordan, Utah) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDZ1FmBl03K/?igshid=12f51d6htu8ih

[sunrisegoal]

“When I was growing up I was pretty strong in the LDS church. My parents were both really strong members, we went to church every Sunday. I went to young men's activities, I did the Boy Scouts and all that. And I feel like I progressed all the way through going to the priesthood and getting somewhat of my own testimony but at the same time after I moved out, the progression just stopped. I turned 18. At that point it was just me, technically an adult and I had to do things for myself but I didn't take those same stepping stones that church has set up for you and you have to do it yourself. And I didn't. And so I stopped and there wasn't any kind of interaction between me and God. I wasn't praying. I wasn't reading my scriptures. I was just “doing me”, you know. And I kind of put that as Darkness. I wasn't trying. I wasn't trying to become better or learn more. And it wasn't until I got really honest with myself with my bishop about an issue of mine that I realized that I had to change otherwise it was just going to be that way my whole life. there wasn't progression, there wasn't going to be enlightenment or furthering of knowledge. I decided to go on a mission. On a mission you're still progressing, you're trying to learn the language and the gospel. but I got to a point where I had to know for myself, and so I eventually got my own personal confirmation on my mission that the church was true that the gospel was true and this is where I need to be. Yeah and that was when light came back into my life. I think that was nearly a month into my mission. I just think it's interesting that it took a little over a year for me to get back into the light. And to actually want to become a part of it. Conversely, darkness is that lack of progression. I feel like if you're not progressing in the Gospel that's exactly what the adversary wants. Yeah. And that is the definition of his darkness. He cannot progress. The gospel is a gospel of progression. So that's kind of where I stand in my understanding of it.” #sunrisegoal #sunrisegoalinterview #makeconnections #sunrise #lovestrong #sharedexperiences #breakthescript #makeafriend @lovestrong (at Provo, Utah) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDWtF_Al2vU/?igshid=mesn6x3exrv

[sunrisegoal]

Morning time is the best for inspiration! Had some fun thoughts for some joke material. For anyone who doesn’t already know. I have a dream to be a stand up comedian one day. I told this to my wife, Chels, and she said, “have you ever considered being a motivational speaker that just happens to be funny? Then you could surprise people with jokes...that way they aren’t disappointed if it’s not funny.” She didn’t say that last part. But she was alluding to it hahaha! (Only joking with me). Anyway! What are some of your morning thoughts? (at Logan, Utah) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDT0BMhF7B_/?igshid=y0rtvbt27mc4