Forget Yourself and Go to Work

"When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of God."  The fastest, quickest, simplest way to be happy....besides smiling....is to do something for someone else.  To forget ourselves in the service of someone else.  Because we are God's children, when we help eachother, we are filled with His Spirit of love and peace. 

When I am unhappy, grumpy, burdened, low, or sad, nothing, and I mean this, NOTHING picks me up faster than performing a small act of kindness.  Holding the door for someone carrying an arm full of packages; doing the dishes for my mom or roommate; listening and being there for someone who is having a rougher time of life than me.  The list could be endless of simple services we can give one another.  Your spirit will lift because it has been made light through thinking of someone elses needs before your own.  Don't believe me? Put it to the test!

The Most Desirable Above All Things

"And it came to pass that while my father tarried in the wilderness he spake unto us, saying: Behold, I have dreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have seen a vision.  And behold, because of the thing which I have seen, I have reason to rejoice in the Lord because of Nephi and also of Sam; for I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their seed, will be saved.  But behold, Laman and Lemuel; I fear exceedingly because of you; for behold, methought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness. 
And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.  And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.  And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.  And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.  And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field. 
And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy. 
And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted,  Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.  And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit. 
And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I beheld a river of water; and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking of the fruit.  And I looked to behold from whence it came; and I saw the head thereof a little way off; and at the head thereof I beheld your mother Sariah, and Sam, and Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go.  And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit.  And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also.

Smile!

What am I talking about when I say "happiness"?  What are you talking about when you say something like, "I want to be happy."  What is it that you are really looking for?  What is happiness and where does it come from?

When I am happy it's a feeling of peace and contentment with the place I am in right then.  It's almost a complete arrival into a moment.  My mind isn't wishing to be somewhere else.  There isn't a past, or necessarily a future.  I'm fully encompassed in the now and feeling great about it; pure positivity.  Can you describe how you feel when you are happy?  It isn't the easiest thing to put into words.  But when we know our own personal answer to what it is we are looking for, it will be easier to find.

Think of the times in your life when you were the happiest.  Who were you with?  What were you doing?  Was there a specific reason why you felt happy?  My happiest moments are various events but the most recurring incidents of happiness were with my family.  Like the times when we got together with my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents and sat around and talked, had jam sessions with our various instruments and levels of talents or best off all our family game of Cut-Throat Solitaire! (Which by the way I am currently the family champion and still have the tournament chart to prove it!)  I find joy in my family because our families here on earth are an extension of God's family that we were a part of before we came here to this mortal life.  Families are a gift from God but it seems especially in todays world, families are becoming more and more of a struggle and less of a beautiful source of joy.  Families, like individuals, are not perfect.  I know mine is not.  But there was a lot of love and unity in my family and we sure knew how to get together and have a good time!  Those times I was telling about when my family was all together, it really did feel like a little piece of heaven.  I know the love and unity in my family stemmed from my grandparents testimonies of Jesus Christ.  As we center our lives and family on His teachings there is greater effort within the family to be kind, patient, forgiving, and full of love which paves the way for happiness.

Too bad those precious moments of happiness that personally I feel in my family and that you feel in your own times of happiness do not last all day long throughout our entire time in this life!  Too bad our families can sometimes be really rotten and full of heartache or drama.  If there is a God and He wants us to be happy why doesn't He just make our lives perfect?? 

Well when you feel down, when your mad at your circumstances in life, or the particular events of the day or week, there is a small little something you can do, right now, this second, that will change your level of happiness....SMILE!

It may be hard in the midst of trial but it is actually a proven fact that smiling will increase your happiness!  It's been proven smiling: Changes our mood, relieves stress, releases endorphins and natural pain killers, makes you look younger and more confident and helps you stay positive.  Smiling test:  Try to think of something negative without losing your smile!  If you are having trouble finding a reason to smile, think of the answer to the question I asked about what makes you happy!  Look around and focus on the positive.  Think of an embarrasing moment you had or a funny joke your friend or co worker told you last week.  Think of that one time the dog pushed your little brother down the stairs!!! See that one got me smiling! 

Not to mention smiling is 100% contagious!!  Here is an adorable poem written by a little girl:

One day I smiled at Heather,

And Heather smiled at Jim;

Jim smiled at Eric,

And Eric smiled at Kim;

Kim smiled at Geoffrey,

And Geoffrey smiled at Jon;

Jon then smiled at someone else,

And so that smile went on—

It went from door to door,

It went across the sea,

It travelled all around the world

And came back home to me!

Click on this link if you need a reason to smile!!  Everything this kid says is exactly what I'm tryin to tell YOU!
http://elitedaily.com/news/world/throughout-the-history-of-mankind-nobody-has-summed-up-life-as-well-as-this-kid-just-did-video/

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This is my Story. What's Yours?

Hey you! That's right, YOU! You came to my blog! That is awesome. That makes me happy. Why? Because it means that someone somewhere is reading what I have to say. I'm not a gifted writer or some inspired person. I'm just a perfectly average 22 year old girl. I'm not particularly interesting, exceptionally eloquent, or unusually intelligent. I've had a typical upbringing in a suburb called Orem, Utah. I played with my friends, I went to school, I cried when girls called me mean things, I was bored a LOT, but also have laughed A LOT. I've led an ordinary life and the only slightly unique and semi interesting facts about myself are that I was an orphan....for about 6 days till I was adopted in my first week of life and I still have an imagination that can rival a 5 year old.  Just ask my 10 yr old niece, I bet she'd tell you I do in fact, act younger than her! To her I am crazy Aunt Katie!  To the rest of the world right now, I am Sister Jensen, a missionary for my church.  To me, I am just this slightly off beat, head strong, average girl who has found something amazing.

What I've discovered I didn't buy in a store, get from a friend, or steal from my neighbor.

I discovered it!

         I searched it out!

                         I found it!

                                                       I am your fellow traveler.

I have not arrived at the destination but am alongside you to tell you that the destination is not happiness (although it will be fantastic to get there) the journey is happiness. So where are my credentials to make a claim like that? Where's my masters degree, my PhD? Where is the proof that what I'm saying isn't a pile of hogwash? Well...I don't have a doctorate in happiness, I don't even have a degree...like at all...like in anything! (I'm basically a college drop out. I haven't even been to school for over a year now! Long story, I'm a missionary, ask me about it later when you comment.) So back to not having a degree in happiness -- Holy moly is there a degree you can get in happiness?? Cause if there is I'm definitely signing up for that this fall! (I'll be a college kid again) Enough about my lack of college education and the non existence of my PhD in happiness. Why should you trust what I've got to say or even keep reading? Because! I have gotten a education in happiness at the school of hard knocks and from my faith in Jesus Christ!

Now hold on just one second! For those of you who are like oh great another religious blog, give me one more minute to explain!

This is not a convert you to Jesus blog. This isn't a self righteous or self promoting faith blog. This is a down to earth normal person writing their thoughts about life and happiness that has worked for her, kind of a blog that hopefully will make you laugh and think and ultimately lead you to some spring of water that is in fact a spring of happiness! *Breath!* My whole goal is to help you. Like if this blog and what I have to say led you to an oasis or well or a rushing river or large lake of happiness, that would be incredible to me and make ME oh so very happy indeed!.....And heck if it leads you to the source of living water, Jesus Christ, despite what I just went on and on about not writing a Jesus blog, WELL SO BE IT!! I'll be very thrilled for you!! But the point of the blog is the springs and small creeks, and perhaps if I put a really really good post, a river!

Talk to my family, friends, I have a life that I'm trying to live. I'm a real person with real problems and real experiences. You should read my blog because I have a story and it is one filled with real happiness, and from the bottom of my heart I want you to have a life filled with joy too! Why?? Because that is one of the reasons we are here on this often miserable little planet. Let's have a reality check here for a second. Life is hard! It's full of imperfect people and sorrows and trials and challenges and the list goes on and on and how in the heck can anyone ever be happy here?? And yet I truly am!! There are ways to be happy because I KNOW it's why we are here! We ARE here that WE might have joy! God wants us to be happy! I want to be happy! I want YOU to be happy!

If you are already happy and reading this, dude! CONGRATULATIONS! Make a comment! I would love to hear about your life and experiences and your journey of happiness! What's your story? I am positive that it is just as, if not more, inspirational and helpful than mine and we would all enjoy being lifted up by your beautiful and special experiences! The thing is, I am still on my journey to happiness. I'm never gonna quit the journey-ing because I never want to quit the happy...ing. Again, happiness is not the destination alone, it is the journey.

I'm here for you when life gets hard! When those curve balls, knuckle balls and fast balls come striking you out, just read what I have to say. I have no fancy words or methods. It'll jut be real, you and me, hashing it out. I'm here because I had a Friend help me out. Now I want to be that friend for whoever needs one. You are not alone. You are not the only one who is or has been unhappy. I have felt

unhappy and I have felt alone.

So my new friend! Here is my first word on how to be happy, right here and right now. Choose any of the following:

(the creation of your own small idea is acceptable)

Pet your dog, hug your kid, smile, take a breath of fresh air, read a book, tell someone they look great today, look out the window, gift wrap a little trinket you don't want anymore and give it to someone, ask your neighbor what their name is, do that thing you have been avoiding, Just Do! Act! Live! Move! If you're blue find some yellow, if you're yellow find some red, if your green...find a toilet

or a bucket, my blog really isn't going to help with that. It's really up to you! What will you do? Where will you go? I don't know

....but I just know you CAN. Start. Go.

This is my blog about journey's of happiness.

This is my story.

This is my life: and men are that they might have joy.

Sent from my iPad