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

On Happiness

On Happiness…

Bliss, contentment, delight, elation, enjoyment, euphoria, exhilaration, glee, joy, jubilation, laughter, optimism, peace of mind, prosperity, well-being, blessedness, delectation, ecstasy, felicity, gaiety, geniality, gladness, hope, paradise, sanctity, vivacity, and cheeriness. All these things pertain to happiness, but what does it really mean? Everyone wants it, but do we know in reality what we actually want?

Everyone draws towards happiness in one way or another. God wants us to be happy too, but there are so many questions attached as to what it really means, and how to rightly obtain it.

For example, if everyone wants so much to be happy, why is sometimes so hard?

If God wants us to be happy, why does He let so many sad things happen?

Is happiness a fleeting feeling that depends on what we have or don’t have?

Can true happiness even be obtained in this life?

Can it ever be permanent?

In 2 Nephi 2:25 it says “Adam fell that man might be and men are that they might have joy.”

We’re here to be happy! So why aren’t we happy all the time? Well, we wouldn’t ever know what happiness felt like if we hadn’t ever experienced adversity.  If sadness never dug holes in our hearts, there would be no holes to fill with happiness. We can’t experience joy if we have never known it’s opposite.

If God wants us to be happy, why does He let so many sad things happen?

When it says “men are that they might have joy” that encompasses all that it takes to experience joy, which also includes sadness.

God’s plan was for us to come here and have tests and trials. But God’s plan is also the Plan of Happiness. He knows that the faith that will be required of us will also bring great joy.

Is happiness a fleeting feeling that depends on what we have or don’t have?

So many people are wandering around, searching up and down for any sign of delight. But so many are looking in the wrong places. Drugs, immorality, selfishness, (anything that isn’t done for God) can lead to what I like to call “Jump and Splat Syndrome.” People that have this seek for happiness in little spurts. They do these things which give them a little ‘high’ and then afterward, plunge down into something that could lead to addiction and remorse.  They jump off a cliff and get a thrill, but then after a while they find themselves splat upon the ground.

This is seeking for happiness in fulfillment of carnal desires. This is Satan’s warped version of happiness, and it will not last!

Can true happiness even be obtained in this life?

True happiness comes when we are living in accordance with God’s law. And that includes the law of the Atonement. Of course we are going to have ups and downs, but repentance can make us pure again and ready to receive a fullness of joy.

Our thoughts play a huge role in living in accordance with that law. I believe gratitude is key. When we are sincerely grateful, then we will do the right things to show our love and appreciation. And God said “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

What can we do in order to serve God? Serve others! Isn’t it interesting that in order to find ourselves, we must lose ourselves?

Being selfish is quite a burden. When you are selfish, you are never content and always wanting more and also blaming others.

Service is a great way to throw off that burden, and find true happiness.

It’s really all about living the gospel.

Can it ever be permanent?

The true lasting happiness that is really worthwhile comes with the Spirit. When we are doing things to have the Spirit, we can be happy in knowing that we’ll have that constant peace.

It’s teamwork! You can’t do it all on your own; you need God’s strength. His grace and His Spirit are power.

The Spirit connects us to our true selves. It is the bridge to our divinity. When we are doing things that bring the spirit, we are doing what God wants and what He put us here to do.

As long as we are sincerely trying to do God’s will and being grateful as we live the gospel joyfully, then true happiness will pour abundantly into our lives.

Happiness :)

Happiness can be found through service, silence, and the spirit. When we slow down and take the time to do these things, we will be able to see how we can be happy and how we can help the people around us to be happy.

There are many ways to find sadness in this world, it only takes a glance to see the sorrow all around. Everyone seems to be hurting in some way or another. Happiness is just as plentiful but not as obvious. You have to work hard to find the joy in the journey. When we are doing whats right and helping those around us to see the light, then we can find the happiness. When we are serving the people around us, we are also serving God. We will find true happiness in service to others.

There is so much chaos all around that is hard to avoid. We often feel pressured, busy, and tired. There are so many people who are filling up their life's with more and more hoping to find happiness and passion somewhere along the way. But when we take time to be silent and listen we can bring peace into our homes and relationships. Peace is definitely something that can help you recognize the good and become happy, I have seen this in my life. It is amazing.

When Christ was upon the earth He experienced many of the same things we do. His life was obviously different but He did experience happiness and sorrow. When we take the time to listen to the spirit we are blessed to feel the happiness that only God can give. Taking time to make sure we have the spirit with us is always worth it. When you have the spirit with you, you are in a place to feel happiness and joy. 

When we take the time to be happy we can find more ways to serve, be silent and feel the spirit. Helping others to find happiness in their life's can only increase your own happiness.

The path to Joy!

Word study on “Joy”

I. Dictionary Definition

1. JOY, n.
1. “The passion or emotion [Feeling] excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; that excitement [Enjoyment] of pleasurable [Comfortable] feelings which is caused by success, good fortune,the gratification of desire or some good possessed, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exultation; exhilaration of spirits.”

2. Principle: We can have joy any time we want. All we have to do is abide by the principles and truths in our lives and in the Gospel, and stay worthy, so that we can keep the Holy Spirit with us. If we do that, we can truly experience joy in our everyday lives!

II. Words of the Prophet(s) and Other Wise Men and Women

1. “Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.”               -Joseph Campbell (Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/josephcamp384345.html)

2. Principle: I really liked this quote because it talks about taking responsibility. It says, “Find”, and ‘find’ is an action word. We must be the ones to take action in order to feel the Spirit and especially learn from it. The saying, “Let Him In” is also saying that we must take action. He cannot let himself in, we must take the action of ‘Letting him in’ ourselves.

III. Scripture(s)

1. “And for this cause ye shall have fulness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one;”  (3 Nephi 28:10 Retrieved from http://www.lds.org)

2. Principle: If we do all we can here on earth to get back to Heavenly Father, we will not only have much joy in our lives, but we too, can be one with the Father!

3. “Nevertheless, the people of the church did have great joy because of the conversion of the Lamanites, yea, because of the church of God, which had been established among them. And they did fellowship one with another, and did rejoice one with another, and did have great joy.” (Helaman 6:3 Retrieved from http://www.lds.org)

4. Principle: The people had joy because they had discovered the truth in which they were seeking. And as it says in the definition, it is a pleasurable feeling. The feeling they had was the comfort of the Holy Ghost which was now among them!

IV. Personal Definition

To me, joy results in making a true effort to live the truths and principles of the Gospel and

even the laws of the land. We came to this earth to experience responsibility, trial, success,

love and joy. We did so to learn and grow so that we may one day reach our eternal goal of

becoming like our Father in Heaven! We knew that we would have to find our own joy and that

it would not just come, but that we would have to take action and let the Spirit into our lives so that he can teach us how to have joy! We can learn how to have joy by our own conversion and in feeling the presence of the Holy Ghost. What I think I need to do is pray to have the Spirit in my life more, and to be able to listen and understand where it’s leading me in my life.