If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you know I'm an avid social media user. I believe in posting and I believe in capturing life's moments--and this summer especially, I believe in posting the good and the bad in order to really capture what life is.
At the end of April, I left Provo physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted. The semester was hard. I had lost the sense of who I was and I was terrified. Not just scared but terrified. I had just scheduled a doctor's appointment in California as my doctor in Utah suggested Gallbladder removal surgery. I love California but I knew I would be losing my "social life" and would go back home to a place that I didn't necessarily fit in. I'd be surrounded by people that love me unconditionally but didn't totally understand me. The first night at home, I had the idea to start a happiness challenge. For the next set amount of days, I would post a picture a day of something that brought me
At first, it was pretty easy. I had so much to be happiness--I was home, being taken care of, and I was hanging out with my mom everyday. One of my biggest worries about going home was finding a job. Every week except the week of my surgery, I found work. I watched my favorite newborn and learned a lot. I hung out with my family and lived in the moment.
And then I had days that didn't go as planned. Where I was running around and didn't have time to make myself look presentable for a picture. But somehow, those days still turned out better than I had planned. Some were hard and even though they ended in tears, I still looked back and
But, sometimes, it was hard. It was hard to watch 2 friends get married and while it was a joy to be apart of their celebrations, reality would hit at the worst times. The day I got my gallbladder out, I was in so much pain and just craved being normal in good health. When my younger sister got engaged, I was thrilled for her but in the days to come I realized that life wasn't happening the way I planned.
You see, for part of my life, I considered happiness as a destination. I'd look forward to birthdays, holidays, and life events. My thoughts went like this... "when I turn 18, I'll be happy." "When my friends come home from missions, I'll be happy.” "When I find that special someone it'll be happy." I literally laugh out
Because these thoughts are poisonous. If we wait until we are happy, we’ll be waiting the rest of our lives! Happiness is not a destination but a journey.
It's not easy. The things that matter most never are. In the words of President Uchtdorf at yesterday's women's Conference, "God didn't design us to be sad , He created us to have joy." I strongly believe that happiness is a choice.
So I challenge you, the reader of my blog, to choose happiness. Find the roses instead of focusing on the thorns. Look for the many reasons to smile instead of one reason to frown. "Good things take patience and work." My 150 days of happiness made for some of the best days of my life. The habit of looking for happiness for over 100 days made me a different person. It was a lifestyle change. Even in the hardest, most stressful and saddest of moments, there is always something to smile about. We are so blessed. Remember that "when things don't go as planned we can choose to have Self-pity or we can choose to have faith and be happy." ~ President Uchtdorf
No comments:
Post a Comment