Happiness: It's All in Your Mind

"Life is not all that bad. You will soon learn that everybody has problems and nobody wants to hear about yours. Put those things aside and smile." 

- Elder Richard G. Scott 

Do you ever feel like you are not quite where you want to be? Perhaps you are not satisfied with your job, your home, your body, your  ________. (Fill in the blank.) Do you wake-up in the morning and have thoughts fill your mind of dissatisfaction, problems to be solved, and a desire to run away to a tropical island? If you feel this way, you are not alone. 

I have felt this way too. (I cannot tell you how much I want to flee to Hawaii and live on the beach, especially this time of year!)  

Escaping to a tropical island sounds enchanting, don't you think? But you see, the thing is, I have found that happiness is not always on the other side of huge life-changes, or changes in location. In some cases, big changes can make all the difference towards peace and happiness. But more often than not, feeling happy is not about doing something drastic, like living in a tent on the beach. (It might be fun for awhile though…) 

When it comes down to it, happiness is not complicated. There is no need for tremendous life upheaval to find the peace and joy that you long for. I know this from experience! 

You see, I have been through a little bit of life. I have seen some hard times, and had some frustrations. I am young, but I have endured many experiences where I have wanted to change my circumstances. For example, I have lived in a tiny 500 sqft home, with 2 children, and Charles and I slept on a futon in the living room. I have lived in a true Alaskan "Ghetto" where my only view for 4 years was a fence caving in, we also lived in fear of our car windows being shot-out, and we would often find drunk people lying in our entry way. Along with some weird living situations, I have had some physical and emotional challenges over the years that have tested my strength of body and mind. I could go on, but who wants me to? No one! 

So, on to understanding happiness...

Oh wait, one more thing . . . we currently live in a 2 bedroom house, with 6 people in our family. Is it ideal? Or is it torture? Well, that is all a matter of perspective, I suppose. It is ideal if I think it is ideal, and torture if I think it is torture. 

Perspective is everything. 

There have been times, through my life experiences, where I have wanted something different -- I have wanted change. I have longed for something other than what I had/have at the time. I have thought that if I could change this, that, or another thing -- then I would be happy. But through my experiences, I have come to find that true happiness does not come from making drastic changes to your life, but rather, happiness comes from making drastic changes to the way you think about your life. 

If I am sitting in my home and wishing I was somewhere else, I find myself dissatisfied -- I do not have peace and contentment. But if I am sitting in my home, and appreciating everything I have been blessed with, expressing thanks to God, than I am satisfied with my life -- it is that simple. Whether it is your home, your work, your body, etc., how you view what you have will determine whether or not you experience joy and happiness with your life. 

Happiness is all in your mind. Happiness is all about gratitude. The more grateful you are, the more happy you feel. Simple, right? 

Well, having the capacity to control your thoughts sounds simple, but it is hard. It can be hard to change your frame of mind from negative to positive. It takes great effort, it likely won't happen naturally. My mind is not naturally positive, I have to work at it. But it is not impossible to change that voice of pessimism in your head. God can and will help you. And it is certainly worth the effort! 

Instead of begrudging your life and circumstances, consider changing your perspective to a positive one. It can be astonishing how different you can feel. And those positive feelings might just help you change things that will help you to feel even happier. 

I have often heard the quote: "Give up what you think you want now, for a greater future good." That has been one of our family mantras that has gotten us through many hard years and circumstances -- we give up things, or go through things, with a hope for a better future. But after some life experiences, and a different perspective, I think it might be time to adjust our Family mantra to: 

"Give up what you think you want now, and be happy now!" 

For an awesome inspiring article go: HERE