Choose Happiness ~ Part One

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in March 2016, and it is called "Choose Happiness" by Elder Larry R. Lawrence. This post is part one, and I hope that you will be able to learn something new while reading throughout this post. 

Elder Lawrence has mentioned the following; 

"... I was interested to learn that many Saints have been prompted to “be more cheerful” or to “smile more often” or to “count their blessings.” I am convinced that, more than anything else, our Heavenly Father wants His children to be happy. Latter-day prophets have taught that happi­ness is the purpose of our existence. 

Joseph Smith understood this principle. In spite of all his challenges, he chose to be happy, maintaining his cheerful disposition to the end of his life. One who knew him well described the prophet as always wearing “an unconscious smile.” I have known people like that ­individuals who are continually smiling ­without even realizing it. Their faces reflect genuine inner peace. 

... A smiling face in a crowd of strangers is a great comfort. What is the secret of inner happiness? The obvious answer is righteous living. But besides being “temple worthy,” what are some ways that you can increase the joy in your lives?

... For example, President Gordon B. Hinckley taught that the more often a person says thank you, the happier he will be. It might be a worthwhile experiment to keep track of how many times you say thank you in a typical day and then to make an effort to increase it.

The theme of gratitude has been addressed by every latter-day prophet and more often than almost any other topic. Our inspired leaders know that being grateful leads to happiness, and they are compelled to remind us. 

In the scriptures we are commanded to “thank the Lord thy God in all things” (D&C 59:7), and that means to thank Him for trials as well as for obvious blessings. If we look close enough, we discover that there is always something to be grateful for. 

"We live after the matter of HAPPINESS." - 2 Nephi 5:27.

... Besides expressing thanks to our Father in Heaven, President Thomas S. Monson has encouraged us to also thank our friends and family. 

He said: We often take for granted the very people who most deserve our gratitude. Let us not wait until it is too late for us to express that gratitude. 

... Have you ever had a rush of gratitude come over you? Did you make a phone call or write a note or take time for a personal visit? 

Have you experienced the happiness that comes from saying thank you and feeling it with your whole heart?

My father died of cancer when I was just eighteen years old. I was not yet a member of the Church, and I didn’t have the sensitivity that the gift of the Holy Ghost can bring. I never really took the opportunity to thank him for all that he had done for me before he passed away. 

... I wish I had thanked him for working with me night after night when I was learning to read in the first grade. I wish I had thanked him for teaching me how to work and to value family. Please don’t make the same mistake that I made. Thank your parents often while you still have the opportunity. It doesn’t matter if your parents are not perfect.

They still changed thousands of diapers and provided countless meals for you. They taught you how to walk and to talk and a million other things. They gave you plenty of rides and even let you learn to drive by practicing in their cars. .... They deserve your heartfelt thanks, and someday you will realize it when you are doing all these things for someone else." 

Stay Tuned until next time.