Recently I was in an LDS bookstore and I wandered over to the gifts section. I stood in front of a massive display of gifts. Necklaces, rings, pens, bracelets, notebooks, pencils, markers, and on and on and on. I was so overwhelmed by all of the options! I had no idea what to choose or what would even be the best thing for me to buy. I was looking for a gift for my friend and I wanted it to be meaningful. Nothing in this bookstore struck me as meaningful enough for this particular gift.

Why I Needed a Good Gift

You see, I have a dear friend who is in her teenage years. She’s much younger than me, but we can relate to each other. She’s having a rather difficult time in life. She’s at a crossroads with her friends, trying to decide where to go to college, and just generally trying to make good decisions in her life. She wants to choose the right, but sometimes it’s difficult, especially with peer pressure, to choose what she knows is right in her heart.

Finding the Right Gift

So I set out last week to find her something to help her choose the right. I wanted to give her a daily reminder of her values. I wanted a visual reminder that she could simply look to and remember what she knows is right. Nothing in that bookstore was what I was looking for. I walked away empty handed.

Choosing a Tungsten CTR Ring

And then, it hit me! My friend needs a CTR ring! I need to get her a CTR ring that she can wear everyday to remind her to choose right…to choose good friends, to walk away from the party where she shouldn’t be, and to remember that she is a daughter of God.

I chose to get her a beautiful Tungsten CTR ring. A Tungsten ring was such a simple decision! It’s beautiful and something my friend will want to wear every day. And I know it will last because it’s made of such good quality. Plus, all my sweet friend has to do is look at her hand and the decision is made for her. She can touch that ring, or simply glance at it, and instantly have the courage to walk away.

After hours in the bookstore, I finally made a right decision myself. I chose a Tungsten CTR ring. And my friend is happily wearing this ring every day.

There’s a girl at work who has a poster hanging up over her desk. It says, “Hold on knuckle tight to the Iron Rod.” I’ve seen this poster many times and I read it every time I walk by. Today, I stopped to ask myself, “What does it mean to hold on knuckle tight?” Here’s what I’ve come up with.

1. In order to choose the right, you have to know what you are choosing. If I go to a restaurant to order a hamburger, I’m not going to look at the menu and think, “Am I ordering a salad?” No, I’m going to order a hamburger because that’s why I went in. The same is true with choosing the right. When I’m faced with a tough decision, I know a head of time what I’m going to choose. I’m holding on to my choice knuckle tight.

2. Be strong. We hear it all the time. “Be strong and of good courage…” But do we really know what it means to be strong? Think about it. In order to hold on tight to the iron rod, you need to have the strength (spiritually) to hang on. In fact, you need to cling to the iron rod. That’s an interesting image, isn’t it? To cling to what you know is right. You are holding on tight and that takes real strength, especially when life throws you curve balls.

3. Be true. If there’s one thing I really can’t stand in this world it’s a hypocrite. You know who I’m talking about. The one who stands up in church and professes to be such a good, upstanding person. Then, you see them at the party on Saturday night downing a beer and using foul language. There’s nothing worse than someone who claims to be something they are not. When you hold on knuckle tight to the iron rod, you are staying true to what you know is right, even when it makes you unpopular.

Sometimes, we slip up. Yes, there will be times when we might be holding on to the iron rod with only one hand. But whatever you do, keep holding on. Hold on as tight as you can. Hold on white knuckle tight. This is the way to make it to the end. Choose the right and the good will come to you.

Friendships, especially friendships we form when we are young, can be quite fulfilling. Friends help each other, lift each another, comfort, push us to be better, and help us to make the right choices. Friends can lead us down the right path or easily deter us to follow the wrong path.

Fortunately for me, I’ve been blessed with wonderful friends in my life. I remember feeling from a very young age that choosing the right friends would be a wonderful blessing in my life for years to come. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve seen where the choice to be friends with someone, or the harder choice to not be friends with someone, has made all the difference in my life.

I have a best friend that’s been in my life since we were five years old. Debs and I have been inseparable since that first day of Kindergarten. As I think back on our teenage years, those first few semesters of college, and then on to raising families, I see that Debs has been an influencer for good in my life. When we were in high school, we made trips to the temple. We often spent Friday nights doing baptisms for the dead or just walking on the temple grounds. Maybe that seems like a “nerdy” thing for teenagers to do, but for us it helped us to make good decisions during the crucial years of our lives.

Our friendship has been through it all. Boyfriends, high school, husbands, kids, missions, college, and careers. We’ve had our ups and downs, our tears, anger, and sadness. But through it all, the good choices we made when we were younger helped us to pull through all the drama of life.

Choosing the right friends could be the most important decision in your life. Think about those closest to you. How have your friends influenced your life? Your decisions? How will they influence your future? Choose wisely, for friends will make a big difference in your life.

Have you ever stopped to “unplug?” All around us are distractions. Distractions that keep us from choosing the right. We constantly have music streaming into our ears; our fingers are busy texting; we spend hours playing games on Facebook. There are distractions all around us. And while all of these things are good in and of themselves, they are distractions. We are on constant information overload.

When we are distracted by our cell phones, the internet, and our ipods, it can be hard to listen for the still small voice of the Holy Ghost. When we can’t hear the Holy Ghost, our ability to make the right decisions is weakened. If our minds are full of the latest status update or the newest song, it’s difficult to

Have you ever stopped to “unplug?” All around us are distractions. Distractions that keep us from choosing the right. We constantly have music streaming into our ears; our fingers are busy texting; we spend hours playing games on Facebook. There are distractions all around us. And while all of these things are good in and of themselves, they are distractions. We are on constant information overload.

When we are distracted by our cell phones, the internet, and our ipods, it can be hard to listen for the still small voice of the Holy Ghost. When we can’t hear the Holy Ghost, our ability to make the right decisions is weakened. If our minds are full of the latest status update or the newest song, it’s difficult to choose the right.

I thought about the constant distractions in my life and decided to do something about it. I unplugged for five days. At first, I thought this was the craziest decision I had ever made. I was having withdrawals from not having my cell phone in my hand. And then, something happened. I stopped and listened. I listened to the silence. I listened to the thoughts and feelings in my heart. I listened to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. For five days, I felt peace in my life.

I invite you to unplug. Even if all you can do is unplug for a couple of hours or a few days, try it. Experiment with leaving the world behind. You may be surprised how much easier it will be to choose the right when the distractions leave your life.

Have you ever wanted a super power? I have. Sometimes I sit on my bed at night, contemplating the day, and think of all the problems and questions that could have been solved if I had just one super power. That one super power…the ability to choose the right!

Think it’s not a super power to choose the right? Well, I think it’s the greatest of super powers. Choosing the right takes courage and strength. It takes an inward commitment to good and right. When you use your super “choose the right” power, you will be a hero.

My Super Power Help

Like Super Man’s cape, any real super hero needs a symbol…something that characterizes their power. For me, I want my CTR ring to be my distinguishing feature. I know that all I have to do is wear my ring and the power to make good decisions is mine! It’s as easy as looking at my ring and knowing I’m protected and ready to conquer the world.

Choose Tungsten CTR Rings

Choose a Tungsten CTR ring to make sure your super power never lets you down. Tungsten CTR rings are strong, won’t bend, won’t scratch, and will last you a lifetime. When you’re out saving the world one good choice at a time, you’re going to need the best CTR out there!