Happiness

We want happiness, and that's a good thing. It's good to want it.

In seeking happiness I have done a lot of stupid things. On any given day at any given time, I can feel a dissatisfaction with the amount of happiness that I am experiencing, usually because some circumstance is not what I wanted it to be. I go out desperately to any source I can in order to gather and ensure my happiness or to stop me from thinking about my lack of happiness. That's the wrong thing to do.

Story
A friend of mine approached me one afternoon and he was freaking out a little bit about some girl troubles. He was fairly sure that a girl that he had been dating for a short time was going to break up with him, and he had somehow deduced this several hours before it was going to happen. He wanted someone to talk to about it and asked me how I thought he should handle it. My answer was a little counter-intuitive.

"You have to stop thinking about yourself in this moment. Help someone else. You'll feel better. You'll think more clearly. You'll bring light into your life."

Easier said than done.

I frequently struggle to apply this idea in my own life, but it is true. In all the normal struggles of life, it is important to remember "whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." If you aren't enjoying your job, or if you're struggling to get along with family or roommates, or if your health is degrading, or you feel lonely and friendless, or you are having financial troubles, or you have an addiction - whatever it is - try this: Help someone else. Help yourself as necessary, but get out of the trenches of self pity and worry and turn outward.

As I recall, my friend called his grandma to say hi. You know what? Grandma didn't fix his problems! The girl still broke up with him. Life was still hard. But can't you see that he was a better man for how he acted in that situation?

For examples of how Christ did this, Elder Bednar has a great talk titled "The Character of Christ" that you should listen to. (Jan. 2003).

When you're feeling down, when you're feeling pain, when you are feeling dissatisfied or confused, pray for the strength to serve someone else. It will help.