I listened to Elder Bednar’s most recent conference talk on the way to work today, and enjoyed listening to this story he shared:

Several years ago I spent a Sunday afternoon with Elder Hales in his home as he was recovering from a serious illness. We discussed our families, our quorum responsibilities, and important experiences.

At one point I asked Elder Hales, “You have been a successful husband, father, athlete, pilot, business executive, and Church leader. What lessons have you learned as you have grown older and been constrained by decreased physical capacity?”

Elder Hales paused for a moment and responded, “When you cannot do what you have always done, then you only do what matters most.”

I pondered on that last sentence for much of the day, trying to think how I could best apply it to myself. When I flipped the sentence around, it was more impactful:

“When you only do what matters most, then you cannot do what you have always done.”

Most of the time, I don’t only do what matters most… and I’d like to get closer to that point. It doesn’t have to happen only when I’m unable to do what I have always done, rather I can choose not to do what I have always done.

I heard HWN today through this reminder to focus on what matters most.