True Happiness

True happiness is a selfless choice. This past week it seemed as if everything went wrong. My car broke down, then was fixed, then broke down again; we had 2 or 3 different plummers try to come fix our sewage mess; I received some bad news about a $30,000 scholarship I invested hundreds of hours in; I got a blister the size of a golf ball on the heal of my foot...I could go on but I digress. Little by little I let these burdens build, choosing to be miserable.

I remember my first trip to Africa as a young 11-yr old taking my father's place at the last minute on a humanitarian expedition. In Mwanaminga, Kenya, lines of desperate Kenyans waited for their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be seen by a white doctor, beating and shoving their own family members violently to get to the front of the line. I returned after serving for a couple weeks grateful for several things I took for granted before. "Someone else always has it worse," I recall telling my Mother when she asked what I learned in this journey. While these African people went without clean water, electricity, and many of the "common" luxuries the developed world enjoys, there were many who were happy.

After several visits to other impoverished areas of countries worldwide (Ethiopia, Bolivia, Mexico, Egypt, etc.), I found the same circumstances; people who had very little were still very happy. Why? People all over the world chose to be positive, optimistic, and happy notwithstanding their difficult circumstances because they focus on others through service, thus choosing to love God. How can we be truly happy despite the challenges we encounter?

President David O. McKay, a modern-day prophet (1873–1970) declared: “True happiness comes only by making others happy—the practical application of the Savior’s doctrine of losing one’s life to gain it.

President Thomas S. Monson, a living prophet today says, "It is the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, obedience to which will bring ‘peace on earth,’ because it means—good will toward all men. [Through this] enemies are forgiven, friends remembered, and God obeyed....With every step we take in His footsteps, we abandon a doubt and gain a truth."

Jesus “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” As we increase in favor with God true happiness will be ours. Of Jesus it was written “went about doing good … ; for God was with him.” As we go about doing good, following the example of the Savior and serving others, God will be with us and we will be empowered to make the choice to be happy no matter our circumstances.

Do you want to be happy today? Quit reading this and go do something nice for another and offer a prayer of gratitude for what you do have (and remember, "someone always has it worse").