On December 19, 2008, Steven R. Covey composed in an article, “I am now 76 years of ages and could easily retire. But I’m not retired and I don’t plan to retire. I don’t think in retirement. Why, people ask me? Simply, I have a life slogan. It is: Live life in crescendo.”
Today, my good friend Randal Wright provided 11 talks at BYU Education Week 2018. I initially satisfied Wright as an EFY counselor in Illinois in 2011 and he has remained a coach and friend, so I was captivated to see that he would be teaching 11 classes over the course of Education Week with the very same title “Living Life in Crescendo.” I wasn’t familiar with the Steven R. Covey quote beforehand, so when I sat down with Wright on Wednesday afternoon, I asked what motivated this style. After making it clear that this was a Steven Covey principle that he used with approval, Wright described his motivation for letting the quote guide his remarks.
“I think many people closed down gradually, particularly when they get to retirement age. It’s as if, and a lot of Latter-day Saints go on missions and things, but there are so lots of in society that kind of retire to the RV park and play dominoes and you go, ‘At the time you’re most experienced?’ You have one of the most wisdom, the most understanding, and you kind of shut down a little bit,” Wright said. “Which’s why I like the Covey thing about living life in crescendo. No, [your life] should pick up.”
Wright explained that when you take a look at Church leaders, you see that instead of slowing down, they often speed up. He mentions previous Church president Gordon B. Hinckley as an example.
“If you believe about what he accomplished, you state what did he achieve and what is he related to? The Conference Center, the Nauvoo temple, the Palmyra temple, all the small temples across the country, a lot of things to do with missionary work, but you start thinking of it and you go, ‘When did he start doing all of that stuff? Oh, after age 85,'” Wright said. “Whatever you associate that name with practically is after age 85.”
Encouraged by a desire to enhance himself, Wright spoke about a range of topics that he thinks would cause living in crescendo. Topics consisted of leaving your comfort zone, establishing day-to-day routines, building personal relationships, and conquering worry of public speaking.
Those who have participated in Wright’s classes in the previous know that he is passionate about taping life’s experiences, which he believes is one of our issues as a society.
“I would state the bulk of individuals are not improving in time and I think one of the problems is we’re not tape-recording [our life experiences], basic as that,” he says.
It is his belief that it is our responsibility to hand down to our posterity the lessons we have actually learned from life so that they do not have to relearn them. He states these lessons are likewise for us and if we don’t recognize them, we fail to benefit from them.
In among his Wednesday early morning classes, Wright pointed out the author James Allen, who said, “Life is a series of lessons. Some are diligent in learning them, and they end up being pure, wise, and entirely pleased. Others are negligent and do not use themselves. They remain impure, foolish, and dissatisfied.” He likewise priced quote Elder Richard G. Scott, who said, “I will share a principle that, if understood and consistently applied, will bring enormous blessings throughout your life. It is simple for me to explain, nor for you to understand. It will require of you significant, determined effort to yield its full capacity. With it, you can discover important facts that will bring you higher, enduring happiness and make your life more productive and meaningful: 1) I will regularly aim to discover by what I hear, see, and feel 2) I will make a note of the crucial things I find out, and I will do them.”
Wright plainly rely on these promises as he has actually recorded over 5,000 individual experiences from his own life, numerous of which he utilized in teaching principles at this year’s Education Week.
Lead image from Meridian Publication
Source
http://www.ldsliving.com/What-We-Can-Learn-from-Church-Leaders-About-Growing-Older-Living-Life-in-Crescendo/s/89152
