What's In A Name?

"Doing What I Should"
Upon the discovery of becoming a father I've done a lot of thinking and I came up with this : I need to be better.
In my last posting I mentioned that this blog could serve as a means of making me a better person, and I should expound. I recently read an article of a friend (Tucker Garrett) who wrote about prioritizing. He said all the things I already knew, but said some things in a way I hadn't yet heard. He said that people often wish they could change their priorities, and he corrected that claim. He stated that people are prioritizing perfectly; they're doing exactly the thing they want to be doing. If they say they want to be adventurous, but they spend their time in-doors, than in that moment they are doing exactly what they want to be doing.
I have a lot of things that I say I want to be doing, but do my actions show it? Now, this isn't me wanting to be a blogger, and now finally living that out. This blog will be a means of increasing efficiency while online. An online blog brings with it one really big obvious risk: people are going to know my thoughts and actions and this can be held against me. I want to record this information in a place where anyone can view it. By doing this, I'm more accountable for "doing what I should". Along with that, I have a great desire to help people and influence them. I have 2 hopes :
1) I will influence others for good
2) I will become a better husband, father-to-be, and friend.


Now, to tie in something eternally important. I have had friends confront me with, "in the Mormon faith do you believe your works save you?" The answer is no. The good that I do is not what will get me to heaven. That is only achieved through Christ's death on the cross. But why wouldn't I just want to be better regardless? So, that's why I do it. My desire to be good is not to impress God or to earn grace; his love is unconditional. I want to be better to be an example of what I believe is important in life. Just believing it isn't enough, it's important to live the principles we believe are right, especially if others can benefit through it, because inevitably they will.