After blogging about Sesame Street's Letter B song and then our Bee Stings, it reminded me of The 6 Be's! (see, there is a method to my madness after all). The 6 Be's was a great talk President Hinckley gave to the youth in 2000.He later added 3 more B's (Be Positive, Be Involved and Be Still ) and published an inspiring book titled "Way to Be". But, for today, the original 6 B's were:
Be Grateful! The importance of developing the habit of saying "Thank You!"
Be Smart! Educating our minds. Make it a priority to train our minds and to find work that is honorable.
Be Clean! Avoid the filth and sleeze that is rampant in the world today. Treat our bodies with the reverence and respect they deserve. Strive to stay clean and pure so we can say like, Sir Galahad: "My strength is as the strength of ten, because my heart is pure." (Alfred Lord Tennyson)
Be True! Be true to our convictions! We know what is right and we know what is wrong; have the strength and character to stand up for truth!
Be Humble! Avoid arrogance, conceit, and egotism! When we are humble we are teachable; more open to learning and hearing the whisperings of the Spirit in our lives.
Be Prayerful! We cannot do it alone and we don't need to. The Lord is the source of all wisdom and we need to get on our knees and seek his counsel.
I adore President Hinckley; love the book (with 9 B's) and the talk (with 6 B's)! They're great qualities to strive for! Plus, I like the approach of things we can be/do versus focusing on the things to avoid/don't do. Whether it is with the youth (or any of us) the positive spin is so much more appealing than dwelling on the things to stay away from. And the truth is, when we try to "BE" all the things President Hinckley notes, we don't really have much desire (or time) to worry about the "don'ts" (the thou-shalt-NOTs).
"You can have a good time. Of course you can! We want you to have fun. We want you to enjoy life. We do not want you to be prudes. We want you to be robust and cheerful, to sing and dance, to laugh and be happy. But in so doing, be humble and prayerful, and the smiles of heaven will fall upon you." -President Hinckley
