What I've learned...

I've learned many things this year. I've learned that it's ok to take time for a breather and just go be by myself to, gather my thoughts and calm down. That really helps me out because I get stressed very easily with everything that goes on in my life. It gives me the chance ot calm down and maybe talk to my Heavenly Father about what I'm going through. 


I learned that everyone is important in their own special way. And we all need to respect and love people the way they are. Now I'm not saying that we should tell them, "Oh, you're fine to be doing this. It's just who you are." I know that's kind of confusing so let me explain. We need to love people the way they are while being there for them to help them become even better. Also letting yourself be ther one to get better. There's always room for improvment and I'm sure everyone will agree.


I were placed on this earth to get a body and grow to make our my own choices and learn and gain a testimony of my Heavenly Father. Sometimes, he will let me fall, but he will help me get back up and get stronger. He wants me to taste disappointment and failure so that I can get stronger. I once heard someone say that when they fast, they get hungry. To 
them, that is a reminder that they can't do it without the Savior. And just this last fast Sunday, I tryed remembering that and really did 
help. It let me have a good experience, with fasting. He also wants me to taste sadness and pain so that I could have Joy and Happiness as well. along with Fear and Faith, Pride and Charity, the list goes on. That's why man had to fall. Think about it, Heavenly Father wants me to one day be just like him. Well, how does that happen without feeling what he feels? 

I'm so greatful for what I've learned from this year. It's helped me be more calm and patient with the difficult situations in my life. This has really been a great year!

My Personal Plan to Achieve Happiness

My Personal Plan to Achieve Happiness

By: Nathan Nielson

Throughout my life I have been involved in this constant battle to stay positive and happy. When I am victorious in this battle I feel happy and good about myself, but when I fail to be happy I get down on myself. Sometimes I get so down on myself that I am not even sure if the gigantic amount of effort required to achieve happiness is worth the happiness I receive. I just decided that there would be better days to come if I just endured through this time of sorrow and stress. Then I enrolled in this class titled “Great Works.” In this class all I have studied so far is happiness. After studying happiness for such a long period of time I have realized that happiness is a lot simpler than I once thought. Yet, attaining happiness can also be very complicated. I have determined that there are four different aspects of happiness; they are having a positive attitude, loving yourself, letting the past go, and having faith and hope in life.

One of the defining laws of the universe around us is the “Law of Inertia,” which states, “Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.”(University of Tennessee). In a way, this Law defines my attitude. When I am thinking positive thoughts I want to continue thinking positive thoughts, when I am think negative thoughts I want to continue thinking negative thoughts. It is kind of silly to want to think negative thoughts, but for some reason I just want to stay negative. Yet, I want to be happy and joyful at the same time. When I am faced with this dilemma I have had many different responses, but out of all my responses having an  “attitude of gratitude” (President Thomas S. Monson, April 1992) has worked the best. When I have an “attitude of gratitude” I start looking around and recognizing all of the wonderful, beautiful things and people that surround me and I begin to wonder how I could ever be negative in the first place. Pretty soon, I forget what I was being negative about and I am having a great day. I would give a very detailed example of this, but I honestly cannot remember what I was being negative about in the first place! That is how well it works for me!  In fact, being grateful is the very essence of a positive attitude. And my gratitude all starts with a choice made by me. As Plutarch wisely stated, “But sensible people behave like bees; bees get honey from thyme, which is very tart and dry, and sensible people often get something appropriate and useful to themselves from the most untoward situation.” Therefore, my situation has absolutely no affect on my attitude, rather I have one-hundred percent control over my attitude. When looked at in this light I begin to realize how silly it really is to choose to be negative. Instead, I will choose to be positive.

Loving yourself is one of the hardest things for me to continually do in my life. I constantly feel that I am not good enough in others’ eyes and I will never be perfect. When I start to think these things I get into a dangerously negative mood that can ruin my whole day. A thought that I get that can send me into this mood is the thought that I am not happy, so I must not be perfect and doing things right. It is honestly funny to me that when I am not happy I decide to negative about it instead of trying to fix my lack of happiness. I also feel like there are so many different, rivaling expectations for me that I need to meet for others to like me. I don’t like stressing out over whether or not others like me, but I do it because I feel I am a bad person if other people don’t like me. I have talked about this many times with my parents and the quote I created from their advice was this: “If someone doesn’t like me, that is their problem.” I like this combined quote because it made me realize that I am me and how could I ever be better than myself. I also realized that I love to be me, so why not be me. There is absolutely no reason on this Earth why I should not love being myself. Robert Louis Stevenson once stated in his essay titled “The Lantern Bearers,” “The essence of this bliss was to walk by yourself in the black night; the slide shut, the top-coat buttoned; not a ray escaping, whether to conduct your footsteps or to make your glory public: a mere pillar of darkness in the dark; and all the while, deep down in the privacy of your fool's heart, to know you had a bull's-eye at your belt, and to exult and sing over the knowledge.” This illustrates that even though your life may seem dark a dreary to others, as long as you love yourself you will always be happy. Sure, I may fall and fail, but as long as I get back up and get going in the right direction again I have no reason to dislike myself.  I also know that I am Heavenly Father’s son and He loves me. This really helps me remember how wonderful I am. Another reason why I should love myself is that I will be stuck with me forever, so the sooner I learn to love myself the happier I will be.

In late 2013 an animated Disney Film titled “Frozen” came out in Theaters. “Frozen” featured a song titled “Let it Go.” Pretty soon the main singing repertoire in any home with a young girl was “Let it Go.” I honestly didn’t like “Let it Go” at first, but then I realized that I probably needed to take some of Elsa’s advice.

One of the hardest struggles for me is forgiving myself. I make a mistake and instead of forgiving myself I beat myself up and get mad because I didn’t do my absolute best. I then had an epiphany. What I need to do when I made a mistake was “Let it Go,” repent, and do my best to do what is right from then on. I still have a hard time letting go of my struggles, but when I think about my mistakes logically I realize that there is no use or benefit in beating myself up about past decisions. Nephi was a great example of one who let go of the past and looked toward the future. In 1 Nephi 7: 21, Nephi states, “I did frankly forgive them all that they had done.” My plan is to be like Nephi and Elsa; who let go of the past and looked forward with faith and hope toward the future.

I have noticed that when I am feeling down and negative I tend to be very afraid of the future. I fear that I am not going to get a good job, get married, or get a four year scholarship to BYU. This has really put a large amount of stress on me and has made life very unenjoyable. I feel that every single one of my actions will make or break my life and because of this I feel every single action I perform must be performed with great effort of mind. This tires me out and makes life become a stress fest. One way to solve this problem is to simplify my life. I have not engaged in a many extra-curricular activities recently due to the fact that they just increase the stress in my life. Leo Tolstoy illustrated that a simple life really does lead to great happiness in his story Ilyas. In this story Ilyas worked until he was very rich. Then, through a series of bad events he lost almost all of his wealth. He then proceeded to live a simple life working for a neighbor with very little worldly possessions. This is how Ilyas described the change in his and his wife’s life, “ For fifty years we sought happiness, but only now at last have we found it.” Ilyas did not find happiness amidst all his worldly possession due to all the stress and care it put upon him. He then discovered true happiness when he simplified his life.

Having faith in God, I have found, is a very, very effective way to eliminate stress and fear in life. I was having a really hard time because of all the stress put upon me by school and my future. My Grandpa then talked to me about how crucial and important faith in Jesus Christ is to living a peaceful and happy life. From that day forward I have tried to have faith in Christ and allow that faith to overcome my fear. A great example of faith overcoming fear in my life was when I took the Math Final and my high school. This test was very important to me because it could make or break my A in math. Usually, I would be very stressed and worried about big tests, but before I took this test I decided I would have a spirit of faith as I took the test. I began the test with the attitude that I would do my best and then I would leave the rest to God.. This allowed me to think more clearly, enjoy my life at that moment, and realize that it is just a math test. In fact, I was actually happy while taking the test! 2 Timothy 1:7 states, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Therefore, I was not designed to be fearful, but rather to be faithful. My plan to be happy is to have faith rule over my fear because both cannot exist in the same mind.

In the end, life would be a very miserable and burdensome experience without happiness and joy. I do not want to have a miserable and burdensome experience, but rather a life filled with peace, joy, and happiness. My plan to achieve a peaceful, joyful, and happy life is to: consciously choose to be positive, love myself, because I am the best me I can be, Let the past Go, have faith and hope in Christ and my future, and simplify my life.

Ashley Baird

Oct. 28th, 2015

Happiness Plan

My Road to Happiness!

What is Happiness?

I think, that to understand how to have happiness, I must first be able to understand "what" happiness really is.

In my life, I have seen that I'm the happiest when I am open to the Spirit and I can listen for the right thing to do, and having the Holy Ghost with me!

So, to me, happiness means to be open to the Spirit of God!

Getting Started!

I can't just all of the sudden have happiness in my life, it's something I have to work towards, and learn for myself! If we just got happiness all the time without having to work for it, then it wouldn’t really be happiness because we didn’t have to go through anything to get there. And that, I think is how we do it! We need to take action! We should also have a good attitude about it! So, first things first…I need to get in the right mood and get ready to take action.

If I have a bad mood and I just don't feel like doing anything, then I might not necessarily be sad, but I will not be happy. So, I need to be in a GOOD mood!

Step 1 - Personal Prayer!

Believe it or not, this can really help with finding joy. About a year ago, I wasn’t saying my own personal prayer every morning. I would always have something more important to do. Well, one day I realized that I needed to change that! So I made a goal to remember to say my prayer right when I wake up. And now, It’s the first thing I do in the morning! I feel Happier, and closer to God!

When I took the action of making that goal to better my  life and have a better relationship with God, It really did make my life happier!

Here's a quote from Neal A. Maxwell…

"There is a memorable scriptural phrase about our need to have 'faith unto repentance'...” - Neal A. Maxwell

Step 2 - Remembering God!

I think doing this will cause me to really think more about my decisions. For example, I'm listening to the radio and a song comes on that I really like. However, just the other day, I found out that there is a swear word hidden in the chorus. I think, "Well, you can’t really hear it very well..." but I still know it’s there! If I were to remember that God is right here beside me, would I still listen to the song? Or, would I take the action of turning it off and showing God that I want to live a happy life and be worthy

of his presence!

Here's a quote from Plutarch that I really like.

"God is the brave man's hope, and not the coward's excuse." -Plutarch

Step 3 - Service!

In the Church, I am reminded to serve on a regular basis. Whenever I am able to serve, I feel so good after and I feel like I can have the Spirit with me! But sometimes I get lazy. So, when I don't feel like serving, that's probably when I need to serve the most!

So, to serve you I must...

• Look for opportunities to lend a hand to someone.
• Offer My help. Tell them that I’m here to help them.
• Serving is not, nor should not be, seeking praise. I need to try to stay humble.
• Start over, and do it AGAIN!

Step 4 - "Love thy neighbor"!

They say that “charity is the pure love of Christ.”  Well, if love can lead to happiness, than charity must be a good way to love, and therefore, it must be a good way to find happiness, and even love in my life! When I show somebody love, and that I care for them, then they are able to feel the spirit of love and charity! When I show love, I’m shown love!

I want to be worthy of people’s love. But first, I must love even to those that  hate me. And if I love them, perhaps one day, they will choose to love me as well.

Here is a quote from Ilyás by Leo Tolstoy…

"Now, when my husband and I wake in the morning, we always have a loving word for one another and we live peacefully..."

Final Step - Smile:D

I think that this part is the easiest and most successful action we can take to be happy! Think about, when you feel happy, you smile. If you smile, you feel happy! They go hand in hand. And it’s so easy to do! And as Rachel says it… "I smiled right when I woke up and my day just went so good!"

So... Why have Happiness?

Well, thanks to Sister Bates, and Sister Aaron having happiness in my life has become very important to me! As it says in 2 Nephi 2:25, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." God sent me to this earth to have experiences. He wanted me to know what sadness was and trial and yes, happiness.

Challenge: When you feel like being sad this week, look for a way to be happy. (Like prayer, service, love, smiling? This would be a good time to sum up what you said and remind people how they could do this)

Here's a quote from the Excerpts from the Lantern Bearers…

"For to miss the joy is to miss all."

My Goal!

I have a goal to find happiness in everything I do. During the day I'll have a good attitude and take action so that I can earn it, pray for guidance and trust in my Heavenly Father , remember God and that he is with me even at my lowest point, serve everyone around me, love even those who might not love me, and smile to be in the right mood:D

My Happiness Plan

Here's my Happiness Plan paper: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1azkmb18nOY0WGiGYzbhx_4rmyug4eVHZDpB--KbuQtA/edit?usp=sharing

My Steps to Happiness

Here's my paper: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f6sX5rzqzQCb3j2qk7pW_9vEtKSqxkrxiVQV8dYY1Cc/edit?usp=sharing

Please tell me what I can do better! :)

Love,
Gracious

Hey guys, sorry I forgot to post this earlier

Choosing happiness

Yes, I did say CHOOSING happiness, You CHOOSE if you are going to be happy, in whatever circumstances you are in.

It is super hard to do, I still am not the greatest at it all the time.

Here are some steps to help you

Gratitude

Gratitude helps put God in the picture and makes you happier and takes you out of yourself.

When you’re thinking of others you don’t think about how sad, angry, and “how people are so rude to you”, because you have no room to think of you when you’re thinking of others .

Focus on the positive

Whatever you focus on enlarges and so if you are focusing on the bad you will see more bad in your life even if their is still the same amount of good. If you focus on the positive, that’s what you will notice and see so you see the positive in your life!

Even in your words, especially in your prayers, you should speak positively and not just about yourself but also others and everything, like instead of saying please bless that we don’t hurt ourselves, we should say please help us to stay safe. I don’t know why that works, but it does, it helps.

Primary Answers

We all know the primary answers:

-Read your scriptures

-Say your prayers

-Go to church

But do we really follow these simple steps? I know that I don’t always, when I was younger I was very bad at them all (except going to church, parents made sure of that ;)) because I didn’t really understand the importance them. I just went to church because my parents wanted me to, I would say my prayers without sincerity because I wasn’t sure what to say or I was too tired or I was freezing, and I didn’t read my scriptures i didn’t feel like it applied to me when I was younger because I was little. But I wish i would have started as a kid because it would have been habit then in the process i wouldn’t have to worry about IF i was going to do and have to do it begrudgingly or I could have done it so that it was a habit and could have decided how I was going to study and enjoy it and feel excited and be happy to do it.

Now I can’t say that I am perfect in doing it now, but I can say that I understand why the primary answers are so primary, and the reasons that I should do them and now have a desire to do them.

They are so simple, but are the surest way to lead us to happiness. They give us the spirit which is the only way we can have happiness.

I’m Mormon. I know it, I live it, I love it

Living the gospel brings the spirit and it helps us realize who we are, why we are here and where we want to go. It humbles us, helps us see our weaknesses, and that is when the spirit can teach us and love us and give us the true happiness that we deserve and want!

Real or Fake?

Real happiness lasts alot longer than fake happiness.

Real happiness is lasting and keeps us happy if we choose to let it.

Fake happiness is in the moment and is momentary, it can’t stay with us, in my opinion the reason is that it doesn’t help us become like Heavenly Father and draws us away from the spirit.

Choosing

If we have the spirit we can be happy if we choose it. And if we are choosing the right we can always have the spirit.  

How to Achieve Happiness 2.0

How to Achieve True Happiness

By: Nathan Nielson

How do I achieve happiness? This question has plagued the mind of almost every human being who has ever lived on the face of this planet. In fact, even great philosophers, such as Socrates and Plutarch, have spent large amounts of time trying to solve this great dilemma. After a study of their work and the work of many others, I have realized that developing happiness in our lives is like growing a plant in the garden. When growing a plant, such as a rose, you must first plant the seed. Then you must nourish this seed by giving it sufficient amounts of water and sunshine. This basic process of growing a plant can also be applied to man’s continuous pursuit of happiness.

First, you must plant the seed. The seed of happiness is developing a deep love and respect for yourself. This doesn’t mean that being selfish and self-absorbed brings happiness; in fact, the exact opposite is achieved when one loves himself. When you love and respect yourself, you are more fully able to serve and help others because you spend less time worrying about you, and more time serving others. As you spend more time serving others you begin to discover more of who you really are. This principle is wonderfully worded in Mark 8:34-35, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” This scripture says to lose your life for the gospel, and a big part of the gospel is serving others; therefore, losing yourself in the service of others saves your life, literally.  But, how do you love yourself? One of the best ways to develop a deep love for yourself is to simply be grateful for all the things that make you, you. I used to be jealous of my friends and covet their personalities. They all looked so happy and seemed to be sought after by others. When I had this mindset I was not happy and because I felt I could never reach the high social status they had. Then it hit me, to be happy I have to love me and be me. If somebody didn’t like me that was their problem. Because I changed my perspective I began to realize and constantly think about why I am such a great person, not why others are better than me. By doing this I eliminated jealousy and envy, which left more time for me to be happy.

Second, you must water the seed. To water the seed of happiness you must be continuously grateful. When I am sad, disappointed, or grumpy I have a hard time getting into a good mood again. But, I have found that thinking about all the good things that surround me and how I am so blessed to use these things really helps me switch my attitude very quickly. When my heart is filled with gratitude, I literally cannot have a negative attitude. Being grateful brings happiness because it causes you to look at and think about all the good in life, and when you’re busy looking at the good, you don’t think about all the bad. In fact, I have noticed that when I am positive and optimistic, negative thoughts mainly come from outside sources; such as friends, news reporters, and sports commentators. To stay happy when these negative thoughts come, one must find the good or ignore the bad. Basically, making the best of your current situation is key to experiencing true happiness, and being grateful is a great way to make the best of your current situation.

Third, you must nourish your plant with sunlight. When one continuously strives to improve themselves, they are putting their happiness plant in a position where it will continuously receive sunlight. Many people believe that happiness is having no responsibility or care in the world, but if one reaches this state they quickly begin to lose their purpose in life. Not that they do not have a purpose anymore, but rather that they have no purpose in what they are doing. This principle is demonstrated in Plutarch’s words, “a state of bodily stupor is a bad remedy for insanity; but no whit better as a physician of the soul is he who would relieve it of its disturbances and distress by prescribing idleness and softness and the betrayal of friends and family and country.” It clearly displays that one can easily lose purposes in life, such as friendships, family and your country. There is no goal, no achievements, no success. Why then, would the lack of responsibility bring happiness? Simply put, it wouldn’t bring happiness. So, if a person is continually striving to improve themselves they become happier because they have a purpose in life. This purpose in life allows them to fail and fall short, but also gives them the opportunity to succeed and achieve. Then, because this person has reached their goals and achieved something in life, they feel good about themselves and find something else to love about themselves. This, in turn, increases their happiness.

In the end, happiness really boils down to loving yourself, having a spirit of gratitude, and always striving to improve yourself. These three keys all have a common characteristic, they all need to be practiced daily and continually. Happiness isn’t just a temporary burst of excitement, but rather a lifestyle and way of life. So, my challenge to each of you is to try these happiness principles in your life and discover true happiness.