Happiness
So, a lot of times I just am working and I start to think. I think about things that are important to me, the way I view the world, etc. Therefore, I have added a new and continuing element to my blog entitled above. So, last Sunday I taught in Elder's Quorum (apparently this ward thinks that torturing the members is a good way to get people to choose the right) and I was not assigned a topic. So, I decided to do a lesson on Happiness. I decided that in my mind the top 5 ways to be happy are the following:
1. Live the Gospel. Obviously this is huge. It actually encompasses many of the other principles. As I was preparing and giving the lesson, something dawned on me. I do not believe that we are ever really just sitting. We are objects in motion. So, I figure that if we are not doing anything to work towards the good, we are automatically (maybe slowly) drifting backwards. So, I decided in order for me to be living the Gospel, and in order for me to be making progress, I have to constantly be engaged in moving forward so as to at least keep from getting dragged backwards.
2. Be Grateful. I think that this is as important as anything that we do. How can we be happy if we are constantly focused on the negative in life. We need to look for the many ways we have been blessed and for all the good that is around us. I have not had a hard life, so it is hard for me to understand sometimes I guess, but I do not understand why people want to focus so much on the negative. I figure you can learn, be happy, and move on from bad situations or you can continue to relive them over and over again. I believe taking a few minutes each day is a great way to look at all that is good and all the ways I have been blessed. That is why I have put so much time into this blog and my journal writing.
3. Serve Others. Someone made a comment while I was teaching about a study. Some doctors and or scientists studied happiness in humans. They found the ONLY universal thing that made all humans happy was service to other people. Not only was it the only thing to make all humans happy, but it was also the ONLY thing that consistently made humans happy. Oddly, according to the study it is the thing that humans most avoid. Weird that we have a way to be happy and yet we do not use it. That is like having a car that gets a 1000 miles per gallon and never driving it. I also think that people want to have good self-esteem, but they just want it to come. I think self-esteem is earned. You have to accomplish something in order to feel a sense of accomplishment. Serving and helping others is an easy and sure way to accomplish something great and build your self-esteem.
4. Love Others. Generally speaking I don't think this is hard to understand. Its application can be difficult however. I think that truly loving other people is when you love someone even when it can be extremely difficult. I think it means helping or serving someone when you feel like you shouldn't have to or you have done your part. There have been times when I think that someone is undeserving of my help or kindness. Then I soon realize that those times are probably the times I need to do exactly the thing that I don't want to do, AND do it to the best of my ability.
5. Laugh. One of the quotes that I used in my lesson was that children laugh on average over 400 times a day while adults generally laugh about 16 times a day (I am sure I am in the 800+ category by the time I laugh at all the dumb things I do in a day). I think that laughter builds bridges, brings down walls, and generally gets more accomplished. Anyone who knows me knows that this is and will remain an important part of my life.
Anyway, those are my deep thoughts that I thought I should write about tonight.
the first FIVE years
