Bridget Nistler

Yes, I'm laughing at myself for writing this because it makes me feel all wise and important when in reality, I'm a 19-year-old-girl who still doesn't know how to make rice on the stovetop. BUT I think I have had my fair share of life-changing experiences recently, and I thought I would share what I have learned. Maybe you'll laugh at it, or maybe you'll learn a little something. 1. Thank Heavenly Father for the "no's." So this was the suckiest one to learn. As people we pray for a ton of things: rain, financial success, safety, help, educational inspiration; but we usually expect a direct answer or for Heavenly Father to be a fairy godmother and grant all of our wishes AND give us a makeover. NEWSFLASH: life doesn't work that way. I have learned the most important lessons in my life in the WAITING not in the recieving of blessings.  2. You never feel bad after serving someone.  I am a thinker. AKA when I'm bored I think about a...

Here we go.... So many of you know that I was engaged at the beginning of the year. We planned on getting married in the summer, and I thought that my "happily ever after" was beginning. However, after only about a week of being engaged, I felt that something was seriously wrong, but I didn't know what it was. Maybe it was because I was so young? Maybe it was because things happened quickly? Maybe it was because I had never pictured myself getting married this soon? But none of these questions seemed to fit the unease that I had in my heart. I went to the temple seeking answers, I prayed constantly (not an over-exaggeration lol), and I talked with my church leaders and close family members about it. Yet I was still lost. I was emotionally drained, I couldn't focus in school, and I wanted to disappear. One day I was so lost that I skipped all my classes and drove home for the weekend without telling anyone. I felt physically sick at this point, and I knew that I n...

This semester in school I took a class about the Book of Mormon, the keystone scripture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was so amazing to learn new things about my religion and to also become closer to Christ in the process. At the beginning of the semester, each student in the class designed their own project surrounding the Book of Mormon that would span over the whole semester. For my project, I decided to write down a couple things each day that happened during that day that reminded me of God or drew me closer to Him. At the beginning of my project, I found myself looking for grand events however, I soon found myself finding Heavenly Father in the little tiny things. I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father is real and that he loves me, along with all of His other precious children. I have come to love the little things, and through loving the little things I have learned to cherish the big blessings. God is so close to us, and if for any reason there i...

I absolutely love listening to Oprah's weekly podcast called "Super Soul." I usually listen to it while I am at work or while I am getting ready in the morning. It is so inspirational, and she interviews the most interesting people! I was recently listening to her episode featuring Maya Angelou who is a civil rights activist and author of the famous book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.  My favorite thing that Angelou said was that "there is only love." If you really ponder about it, as I have, it becomes a very profound statement. Love really is the thing that we all seek deep down on the inside, and I am not talking about romantic love. In the Greek language, there are four kinds of love: Eros (romantic love), Philia (love in a friendship), Storge (familial love), and Agape (selfless or Christlike love). Each one of us needs a little bit of each of the "four loves" to feel completely cherished. It is so important to unselfishly give people each k...

Life is all about how we handle our experiences, and guess what?? Life is so fun when we lighten up! Obviously, that is easier said than done, but focusing on the happy things in life really does make a difference. Recently I heard something that I absolutely love and that is to "act how you want to feel."  By no means is that asking you to fake your emotions or lie to yourself, it simply means to have a good attitude and in turn, you will feel good. I have been trying to "act how I want to feel" for the past couple weeks, and IT WORKS. Now, I have not been a ray of sunshine all the time, but whenever I start to think negatively I can consciously switch my thinking to positive! We often forget that we have control over how we feel, and nothing makes us feel a certain way. Afterall, no hardship should be able to dim our inner light, and I truly believe that true beauty is found when we glow from within. It also helps if we physically surround ourselves with things ...