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.

Megan's Paper

Here is the link to my process paper! Hope you like it:
Paper

How to: Find Joy and Happiness in your life everyday.

                                          By: Ashley Baird

Date: October 1st, 2015

How to: Find Joy and Happiness in your life everyday.

Having joy and happiness in your life is very important! As it says in 2 Nephi 2:25, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” God sent us to this earth to have experiences. He wanted us to know what sadness was and trial and yes, happiness. But, we cannot have happiness and joy if we don’t know how to find it. So hopefully, I will be able to make it clear to you just how to that. Here we go!

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 wanted 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! Knowing that we have a reason to be here, and that there is someone who loves us without compare, will surely bring at least a good reason to start finding happiness! So, everyday when you wake up, and go to bed, make sure to say your personal prayer! This can help us feel close to God and we will be able to have his guiding influence all through our day. Also, pray frequently through the day! I think, the more we pray, the more we’ll be happy!

Step 2 - Remembering God!

Remember God throughout the day. Doing this will cause us to really think about our decisions. For example, you’re listening to the radio and a song comes on that you really like. However, just the other day, you found out that there is a swear word hidden in the chorus. You can’t hear it very well, but you know it’s there! If you remember that God is right there by your side, would you listen to the song? Even if you really like it, and you can’t hear the word very well anyways?

Step 3 - Service!

In the Church, we are 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! If you are confused about how to serve, it’s really quite easy!

1. Look and see if you can find opportunities to lend a hand to someone who looks like they could use a little help.
2. Offer your help. Kindly walk up to them and tell them that you are here to help lighten their burden.
3. Serving is not, nor should not be, seeking praise. Try to stay humble if they give you thanks. If they don’t, try not to think badly of them. They might have a lot on their mind and innocently spaced it.
4. Once you’re done with that service, start over! Keep looking for more and more opportunities to bring a little light into someone else’s life.

Step 4 - “Love thy neighbor”

They say that “charity is the pure love of Christ.”  Well, if love can lead to happiness and joy, than charity must be a good way to love, and therefore, it must be a good way to find happiness, joy, and even love in our lives!

So, to find happiness and joy in life, we need to: 1st, Pray!  2nd, Remeber God!  3rd, Serve!  And 4th, “Love thy neighbor”! If we do all these things, then we can easily find reasons to be happy in our everyday lives!

How to Have a Positive Attitude

How to Have a Positive Attitude

by Elisabeth Aaron

September 29, 2015

Great Works

In the realm of temporal life, very little of your happiness depends on your outward circumstances; most of your happiness here on earth comes from having a positive attitude and outlook on life. Positivity creates most of the happiness we feel in our daily lives. But many people struggle with keeping a positive attitude, so how can we attain it? Here are a few steps that can help all of us.

1.  Be grateful in your circumstances

A huge part of being positive is being grateful. But what is gratitude? Although it’s important to be grateful for our blessings, that’s not all gratitude is. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said that “Perhaps focusing on what we are grateful for is the wrong approach. It is difficult to develop a spirit of gratitude if our thankfulness is only proportional to the number of blessings we can count. True, it is important to frequently ‘count our blessings’—and anyone who has tried this knows there are many—but I don’t believe the Lord expects us to be less thankful in times of trial than in times of abundance and ease. In fact, most of the scriptural references do not speak of gratitude for things but rather suggest an overall spirit or attitude of gratitude.”[1] Very rarely can we change our circumstances, so, rather than worry over them, it’s better to be grateful in them. When Corrie and Betsie Ten Boom were in a Concentration Camp during World War II, they read in the Bible that they should, “give thanks in all circumstances.”[2] Corrie began to pray, thanking God that they had each other, the Bible, and that they were so cramped that others in the Camp could listen as they read from the scriptures. Betsie added that they were grateful for the fleas which constantly surrounded them. Corrie believed this was too far. She didn’t think she could be grateful for fleas. But Betsie was adamant. The scripture said to “give thanks in all circumstances,” not just pleasant ones. So they expressed gratitude for everything, including the fleas (which they later learned were also a blessing). Because they had a grateful attitude they were able to find peace and happiness in the darkest of days and the most difficult of circumstances.

2.  Look for the good in yourself and others

One thing that brings negativity into our lives is judgmentalism. If we are constantly noticing what’s wrong in others, it makes us think more negatively, think badly of ourselves, and eventually feel miserable. But, on the other hand, if we look for good qualities in others, and seek to uplift people, we, by result, think more positively—yet humbly—of ourselves. That creates positivity in us. It helps us feel that there is hope, and that we all have worth. “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.”[3] Looking at others and ourselves as having great worth is like looking through positivity glasses. It helps us see everything in a better light.

3.  Keep an eternal perspective

Many things that get us down are the day-to-day trials and hardships. But what are those in the grand scheme of things? Keeping an eternal perspective can help us keep a positive attitude because we know that in the next life everything will be just and fair. Keeping an eternal perspective is just reminding ourselves that there is more to existence than this life and that we can live again with our Heavenly Father and have eternal joy no matter what our current circumstance. God isn’t racist or sexist or at all biased against or towards us. He loves us and gives everyone a chance. “All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”[4]

4.  Spend time around positive people

When we are constantly surrounding ourselves with pessimistic, negative people, it’s hard to keep up a positive outlook on life. Not that it’s impossible, but it’s much easier to keep a positive outlook on life when surrounded by optimistic, positive people. I personally find that I feel much happier around people who uplift and are positive than around people who put down others and are negative. Unhealthy relationships often consist of at least one person who thinks and speaks negatively. Sometimes we have to cut off some ties to friends who always make us think badly of ourselves, others, or life.

Don’t let circumstances control how you feel or who you are. You are in control, or, rather, God is in control if you’ll let Him. Using these steps to live with a positive attitude will help you feel happier with your life, and will, ultimately, help you be happier in the life to come.

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[1] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Grateful in Any Circumstances,” Liahona or Ensign, May 2014; 70, 75-77

[2] 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

[3] Doctrine and Covenants 18:10

[4] Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service (2004), 52

Process Paper: How to Be Optimistic About Unhappy Things

Here's my process paper:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tAaHZfZHPcWJ_BHN0ntSRCkwjMzrbLvUBeEIaDfI6FI/edit?usp=sharing

Love, Gracious