Do your Duty.

A talk from Elder Joesph B. Wirthlin shed light upon yet another aspect of happiness.  Said he:

"When we accept duties willingly and faithfully, we find happiness. Those who make happiness the chief objective of life are bound to fail, for happiness is a by-product rather than an end in itself. Happiness comes from doing one’s duty and knowing that his life is in harmony with God and His commandments."

And what are our duties?  They are the assignments given to us from Heavenly Father.  Search your heart to know exactly which duties you've been entrusted with.  May I suggest that for men the God-given duties include being a husband, father, and provider.  For women, a wife, mother, and nurturer.  And for both, accepting the calls the Lord gives to serve our fellowmen.  As life meanders along, calls to serve may change.  But always there will be duties to perform and happiness to find. There is little that compares with the joy one feels after a duty is performed well.  It just feels so good to know that you have done all that is expected of you and your heart swells with gratitude to God for the opportunity to serve.

Happy Challenge:
Think of at least one duty today that you can give your whole heart, mind, and soul.  Do this one duty well and commit to always striving to do your duties with a willing and submissive heart.  Happiness will surely follow.

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Approaching Perfection.

Have you ever considered that happiness, the true kind, the kind that stays in your heart long after a joyful moment or experience has faded into the twilight, bursts forth from the wellspring of a relationship with Deity?  Consider the words of the prophet Joseph Smith:

“We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment: he must have been instructed in the government and laws of that kingdom by proper degrees, until his mind is capable in some measure of comprehending the propriety, justice, equality, and consistency of the same” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1976], sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, 51).

"The nearer man approaches perfection"--in other words, the nearer a man approaches God, for is He not the sum of perfection?  This one little phrase, the simplest and yet by far the hardest test of mortality---to  approach perfection.  This one little key can unlock happiness?  This forging ahead and trying and failing and repenting and rising a little higher?  And with each step closer to God, "the greater [our] enjoyments."  The greater our joy.  The greater our happiness.  And if we feel somewhat unhappy today, could we move a step closer to our Maker tomorrow?  Would we, in turn, feel a bit closer to a lasting form of happiness as well?  Yes, we will.  But don't just take my word for it.  Try it out yourself.  And see.

Happy Challenge:
Identify one step you can take to approach a little closer to perfection, a little closer to God.  Just one.  And when you've taken that step, don't be satisfied.  Take another.  And another.  And another.  Measure the increase of your happiness after the span of a week.  And a month.  And even a year.  Record your transformation.  Each step, each habit conquered, is a molding of ourselves to the image of Christ.  Every step makes a difference, each small effort is eternally needed.  Don't discount the small and simple things.

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Simplify by Serving.

Today is the last day in this Simplification Series.  I may revisit the subject as time goes on and I glean more experience, but for today, may I share one more way we might simplify.

That of service.

At first, this doesn't seem like simplifying at all.  It appears like more things to add to our overflowing plate.  But I'm not suggesting we become "Super-Mom" or "Super-Dad" or even "Super-Server."

I am suggesting that we offer our services to the Lord in prayer each morning and ask Him to bless us with inspiration to know how to bless the life of just one person....

A few years ago I had the impression that if I committed to blessing just one person's life each day, by the end of my 80 or something years I would help the Lord in blessing thousands of life.  I recorded in my journal that I wanted to seek to bless the life of one person every day.

As the years have passed, there have been times where I've been more focused and committed than other times.  There have been times when I have felt the joy of daily service to those in my circle of friends, neighbors, and acquaintances, and times when I have felt to focus my blessing on those in my immediate family.  But always, ever present in the back of my mind, is that little voice that whispers of that day when I received that personal "call."

Today I have the desire to recommit and serve...just one person...just one small and simple thing...every day.



Happy Challenge:


Read these beautiful words and see if your heart doesn't swell with the desire to reach out and bless someone's life...

“God bless all who endeavor to be their brother’s keeper, who give to ameliorate suffering, who strive with all that is good within them to make a better world. Have you noticed that such individuals have a brighter smile? Their footsteps are more certain. They have an aura about them of contentment and satisfaction … for one cannot participate in helping others without experiencing a rich blessing himself.”  ~Thomas S. Monson, “Our Brothers’ Keepers,” Ensign, June 1998, 39

{Photo Credit}

Simplify by Listening.

Just for today, make the choice to listen a little more closely to the voice of the Spirit.  Just a few minutes ago I was talking with my husband on his lunch break and spilling to him the worries and troubles from my heart.  In his wise and wonderful way, he asked me to do 2 things for him.

#1. Follow the Spirit.  He asked me to do what I am prompted to do for the Spirit will lead me to do things that will comfort and uplift my soul.

#2. Be comforted.  He promised me that because of prayers and faith the Lord would seek to comfort me today.  But I must let the comfort in.  I must choose to feel the comfort He will inevitably provide for me.

And then he asked me to have faith.  So I promised I would do these things, he told me he loved me, and we said goodbye.

Now it has been 25 minutes since I hung up the phone and I am already witnessing miracles from acting on the two simple suggestions from my sweetheart.  I know that I will only witness more as the day goes on.

Thank you, Sweetie, for your words and wisdom.  And thank Thee, Father, for the miracles.

Would you care to take the challenge as well?  I can only attest that miracles will follow--even if they are small and simple.  They will come.  They have for me...

How to Simplify Life: It's Time to Slow

Summer for us went from a stroll to a canter to a gallop to a full-out tornado-ish whirlwind. Family weddings, photo shoots, registering for kindergarten, family vacations, plans for building a new house, millions of things little and big seemed to crowd in upon us before we could even blink.  Today was the ground-breaking for our house and tomorrow is my sister's wedding.  Then, maybe, hopefully, next week will start to slow down.

I have sincerely missed the slow ebb and flow of how summer usually is.  Many of the things that have transpired this summer have been out of our control, but, of course, there are things I have added that have made the summer a little more stressful.

Perhaps this is a lesson for me---a warning---to keep this fall, winter, and next summer as small and simple as possible.  I have always been a small and simple kind of girl and busyness and me have never quite meshed.  So many of us want to simplify our lives, but the question is, HOW?  When our fast-paced modern life naturally gravitates toward busyness, how do we fight back?

I think it's time for me to post a series (my first!) on how to simplify life.  Join me for the next few days as I think through this topic (and hopefully simplify my own life at the same time!)


Happy Challenge:

Today, sit down for 5 minutes.  Don't have 5 minutes?  Use your bedtime routine of brushing and flossing or some other automatic part of your day to quietly think.

Analyze your life.  Is it too busy?  Do you need to simplify at all?  If so, (and I think for most of us the answer is 'yes') jot down a few ideas of how you think you could simplify a little.  Don't take too long on this, just follow your heart and your first impressions, then make a few notes.

Then, if you wouldn't mind, leave me a comment with some of your ideas.  I can learn so much from you.  Good luck!