갓생: Small and Simple Things

I learned something interesting today while listening to the radio. In Korea, the younger generations have been taking part in a peculiar trend. They call it 갓생, or God-Saeng. When the prefix “갓” – meaning something at an excellent or divine level – is combined with the word for life, a new Frankenword emerges and has come to mean a higher, more faithful level of life. It’s a Korean self-development lifestyle where emphasis is placed on diligently executing the seemingly inconsequential actions required to live a better life, such as making your bed every morning, drinking 2 liters of water each day, decreasing screen time, and exercising regularly. For God-Saengers, meaning and fulfillment is not found by making grandiose plans but by consistently living small day-to-day efforts.

It is a fact known from the beginning of time that simple, persistent efforts are the key to achieving any goal, big or small. This pattern can be found in every aspect of our lives: from physical fitness to social relationships to intellectual pursuits. Even Jesus Christ utilized this pattern in one of His most famous parables, teaching, “Unto what is the kingdom of God like? It is like a grain of mustard seed…and it grew, and waxed a great tree” (Luke 13:19). Out of all the lessons that the Master Teacher gave, He emphasized most the importance that slight yet consistent endeavors play in the grand scheme of life. Growth doesn’t happen all at once—it takes weeks or months or years of miniscule efforts for a tiny mustard seed to blossom into a great tree, and it takes just as long for us to develop to our full potential.

The first day of my senior swim season, I looked in the mirror and said, “This year I am going to break the 100 fly record. I can do it, but holy cow am I scared.” I knew that I had the potential to become the greatest female butterflyer in Colony High School’s swim history, but the thought of getting to that point was overwhelming. I would have to cut over ten seconds to reach my goal, and in the swim world, to drop that much time in a sprint race is a very difficult thing to do. To do so in just three months was a huge goal, but I understood the tried-and-true method to achieving goals, and started down the road to success.

I changed my diet, choosing to fuel my body with food that would give me essential nutrients. Tiny daily efforts to eat well paid off, and my body grew strong and full of energy. I made sure to prioritize getting at least eight full hours of sleep each night. Tiny daily efforts to maintain that habit paid off as my body, sustained by the vital rest I provided, reached peak physical conditions. I pushed myself to lift a little heavier, go a little faster, be a little better in practice than I was the day before. Tiny daily efforts to push past my limits paid off as my stamina increased and my mental state became cool under pressure. Slowly but surely, thanks to the persistent and intentional endeavors I undertook, I grew to reach my full potential. Unfortunately, due to a sheer fluke of fate and Covid’s horrendous timing, I finished off the season 1.5 seconds away from the record, but I know that because of the work that I had put in day in and day out, I could have reached the goal that just months before seemed impossible to achieve.

My mom always reminds me that “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you BECOME by achieving your goals.” In order to reach our full potential, in order to become the person that God sees we could be, we must choose to diligently act on the little things we know will lead to a higher level of living. Read the Word of God every day, even if it’s just one verse. Speak to God every day, even if it’s just a quick greeting of gratitude. Serve those around you, even if you only offer a smile to a stranger. Join me in living the 갓생 lifestyle; diligently choose the tiny actions that create a more excellent way of life. The Lord loves effort, and as Gary E. Stevenson once said “Heavenly Father can take our simple, daily efforts and turn them into something miraculous.” Through small and simple things are great things brought to pass; from a mustard seed blooms a great tree, and from you and me grows divinity.

Avery Palenske has recently re-discovered the state of frenzy a good book can bring. She’s returned to her roots as a bookworm who always has a novel in hand; this can be somewhat problematic as Avery needs two free hands to juggle a full-time job, creating silly memories with friends, and still somehow getting the sleep she needs to function properly, but one thing that is never up in the air is her love of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.