Friday Flashback - Personal and Social Refinement

Last of the 1977 Personal Progress book areas of focus (but never fear - I have lots more vintage YW materials to post, so this is not the end of the series!) - Personal and Social Refinement.

"An ideal Latter-day Saint young woman has gifts from God that are hers alone. She seeks his help in discovering those gifts. She looks for ways--personal and social--to develop them. She becomes strong, yet gentle; confident, yet humble--in every way more Christlike. She leads out in righteousness by being an example of the Lord's word in thought, action, and appearance. She likes and accepts herself for what she is, and she knows she is a child of God."

Goal categories -

Developing Self-Confidence
Make a list of your talents and attributes and acknowledge them to God & to your parents; volunteer to do a task that's "unwelcome or difficult" and take pride in doing it well; read about lives of great people who have overcome handicaps; find or read something beautiful and uplifting at the end of the day; set aside a "worry time" to write out all your worries - then choose the ones that can be changed and something about them, forget the rest; organize a class activity where each person in your class writes things they admire about each girl on sheets of paper that are passed around the group.

Striving for Self-Mastery
Each month, replace a bad habit with a good one, choosing a Christlike characteristic and seeking the help of the Spirit to obtain it; share a problem with a family member, ask for help, and report back progress to that family member; read strengthening incidents from the lives of General Authorities; eliminate influences that are offensive to the Spirit (thoughts, conversations, movies, music, literature, actions); faithfully try to speak only the truth for a month; memorize a hymn and use it when bad thoughts or words cross your mind; practice modesty at all times in thought, dress, action and speech; read & ponder prophetic counsel about dating, chastity and marriage and pray for strength to follow those standards; study conference talks and look for ways to put their advice into action.

Improving Personal Appearance
Work out a "daily beauty routine" including bathing, cleaning face morning & night, brushing teeth and grooming hair [yes, it says "grooming"]; evaluate and improve your posture by walking with books on your head, correctly sitting/standing/stooping in front of a mirror; set aside weekly time to "polish shoes, mend clothing, sew on buttons, spot and press clothing, and wash & iron"; have regular physical/dental checkups; give special attention to the grooming of your hands and fingernails; collect printed articles about personal grooming, keep a notebook and "practice desired skills"; participate with your class in learning about "color, line and design in clothing."

Becoming a More Gracious Person
Give each person you talk to a smile, warm greeting and your full attention; make a habit to acknowledge others' help, hospitality and achievement; learn about topics of "general conversational interest, such as sports, current events, literature, music, and current book favorites" and use those topics in conversation; learn the proper way to make introductions, pick up food from a serving table, and meet large groups of people; develop good habits in conversation - listen to others, don't dominate or contradict; participate in a panel discussion with "three mature women" about manners, such as what to do in an embarrassing situation and how to accept a compliment; be courteous to those who serve others like policemen, salesclerks, waitresses and custodians.

Improving Relations With Others
Make an effort to forgive someone who's been offensive; be honest in all your dealings with others; solve a family problem through discussing it and making an action plan; make friends with and be inclusive of those with physical or mental handicaps [that's the wording]; support others' creative ideas and be a good follower; show a good example to friends by not gossiping; show respect and tolerance for others' opinions; practice the "art of attentive listening"; list and practice desirable characteristics = fair, friendly, helpful, thoughtful.

Building Leadership Skills
Learn how to use a planning sheet, follow an agenda, evaluate goal progress, or conduct a meeting; accept leadership opportunities and work closely with adult leaders/advisors; support leaders and fulfill assignments; take part in a leadership skills workshop; learn to delegate and help others be successful in their assignments; work as a "specialist" with a younger person, a friend, or a handicapped person; offer suggestions to class leaders on how to activate a class member; read a Church book on leadership traits and prepare a book review of it for your family or class.

Just a note: I notice among my goals from this section, as a Beehive - "Begin to change what I don't like about myself... I will make a list of qualities I have but don't want and qualities I don't have but want." Hmm, wonder what was on that list?