As I think about my own personal improvement in the New Year, I really liked President Russell M. Nelson’s comments about the things he has learned from deep sea fishing that apply to improving our lives: patience, persistence, and prayer.

I can’t really improve upon that, but I can share some pictures from some of the times I have been deep sea fishing and say I completely agree.

On second thought, I might add a fourth ‘p’: preparation.

Most of the time when we go deep sea fishing, it is not smooth sailing (pun intended). A lot of my family members are susceptible to motion sickness, so you can imagine the choppy ocean water does not make for an enjoyable experience for them. Dramamine is a life-saver for some of my family who get a little seasick! Those who don’t take it are at least able to bless the water with bait for the fish, which actually turns out to be pretty effective!

If we want to change, we should know where we are headed; some careful thought about that beforehand is worth time it takes to prepare.

^{Lead photo by Merle Taylor}