Making the Most of Yourself

Making the Most of Yourself by Sterling W. Sill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Sterling W. Sill is a hero of mine. Let me tell you why:
I attended Ricks College 1974-1976. On Sunday, October 27, 1974 we had a very special visitor to our multi-stake conference at Ricks. My roommates and I were excited to attend and hear Sterling W. Sill, an assistant to the quorum of the twelve speak. We arrived at about 9:40 am for the 10:00am start time to find hardly anyone there! We couldn’t believe NO ONE had come. Then we realized that we had forgotten that Daylight Savings Time ended that day and we were an hour early! We took seats right on the front row of the gymnasium auditorium. That put us sitting at the feet of Elder Sterling W. Sill, right under the podium. Elder Sill, by this time was completely blind. He was led to the podium to speak. For over an hour, he spoke without a note. He quoted memorized scripture after scripture and poem after poem. We sat; awestruck. I left that meeting that day determined to fill my head with good things, just as he had done all of his life.
With enthusiasm, I started and memorized several poems that I can still quote. But my resolve and enthusiasm waned. This book has been on our bookshelf our entire married life- brought to our marriage by my husband. It has called to me. If ever anyone knew how to make the most of himself, Elder Sill did. I took it off the shelf, blew off the dust and read a truly inspired book.
In the introduction he said he wrote the book in 52 weeks- one chapter a week for a year. (A great example of his self-discipline) He suggested it be read in the same manner- one chapter a week for a year. I read it much faster than that. Each chapter is almost exactly the same length 4 ½ pages. Again, suggestive of his planning and discipline.
His objective in writing the book is stated clearly in the title, to help us make the most of ourselves. “We might keep in mind the probability that the most important part of our entire eternity is these few brief years of mortality. We have successfully passed all of the requirements of our first estate, and now our eternal lives depend upon what we do during these few remaining years of mortality. The greatest of all opportunities in life is life, and may God help us to make the most of it.”
Each chapter of the book (arranged in alphabetical order) focuses on an aspect of life that we can focus on to improve ourselves. Each is FULL of quotations, poems, and excerpts from great men from the ages, and, of course, from the scriptures. As he suggested, I read with a pen in hand to mark passages that especially spoke to me. Let me share just a few of those with you:
He speaks of “a man” in this excerpt, but I strongly suspect he is speaking of himself:
“There are many treasures that we can keep both here and hereafter, and they are completely tax free in both places. I know of a man who has a wonderful working collection of literary treasures. It is made up of some great ideas, some great ambitions, some great objectives, some great plans, and some great expectations. As he has acquired his favorite philosophies, his motivating stories, his stimulating poems, and his uplifting scriptures, they have been faithfully recorded in his idea books. Thus, over the years he has built of a vast paper memory. This is more dependable, more retentive, and make his treasures more negotiable than if he depended solely upon his mental memory. He takes great delight in loving and memorizing his valuable treasures as he transfers them into his mental memory for his own daily profit and practical use.” Isn’t that motivational?
From the chapter on giving:
“Recently I heard a woman tell an interesting story about her own grandmother. She felt that her grandmother was a most remarkable person, because she made every day a kind of Thanksgiving Day. When her relatives, friends, or neighbors stopped by for a visit, this fine, thankful woman always gave them something. She was not only always prepared with physical refreshments, but also refreshed her visitors with mental and spiritual vitamins as well. (then he goes on to tell how she kept treats
on hand- always prepared.) Inspirational!
“I believe that the greatest treasures of our earth are the holy scriptures.”
Oh I could record a hundred more that I underlined and pondered, but this review has gone on long enough. Let me end with just one more that describes how I feel about Sterling W Sill:
“No one can look upon a great man or think about what he does without gaining something from him.” I am grateful to have “looked upon” Sterling W Sill that day in Idaho long ago, as well as through this book. I truly have gained something from him.




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