Life Lessons: Happiness

Oh yikes. I was thinking back on everything that happened this past semester and thought: shoot, I’d have to write 20 posts just to cover it all. And that’s just not going to happen people. I’ll admit I kind of forgot about updating y’all on my life’s crazy adventures. I also have to admit that I’m not really sad about that. I was too busy just enjoying life to write about it. And you know, I think that’s a pretty darn good reason. Thanks for understanding. :)

As the title suggests, I learned a lot about happiness this semester, and it’s been the most wonderful life lesson I’ve learned so far. Seriously, these past four months have been the best months of my life. I have been blessed with some of the most amazing friendships; I finally have purpose and direction in my life; I’m in the number one Masters of Accounting program in the United States; I signed an internship offer with Ernst & Young in San Jose; and I’ve met one incredible man and his equally incredible family. I don’t mention all these things to brag about the blessings in my life. Instead, I want to show how blessed and joyful and happy your life is when you allow God to be part it. That’s not to say I haven’t had my fair share of trials and challenges. Let’s be honest, sometimes life just sucks. But knowing the Savior and understanding His Atonement gives you a whole new perspective on the purpose of those challenges and empowers you to endure them with a smile on your face. I promise you, even when you’re facing challenges in your life you can be happy.

Why? Because that’s what the Gospel is all about. It’s the pathway of happiness through this life. From my own experience I know that is true. I look back on my life (as short as it’s been so far, I know) and the times when I have veered from the Gospel path I have been considerably less happy. For two years I didn’t know what my purpose was. I felt lost and generally alone. There was no motivation to better myself. For two years I pushed God out of my life. Sure, I went through the motions and put on appearances for the sake of others, but not because I really felt it in my heart or even believed it in my mind. I wasn’t a bad person. I didn’t seek out bad things. But I wasn’t letting God or the Savior be part of my life either and I wasn’t happy.

Steering back onto the Gospel path, allowing the Savior to heal those wounds, and not fighting God’s path for me anymore has brought inexplicable joy back into my life. That, my friends, is the secret to happiness. No matter what comes your way, you can sail through the good and the bad with joy in your heart. God’s path, His Gospel, His plan of happiness is how you will find happiness both in this life and the life after. What is His path? What is the purpose of His path? What is the end goal? Nothing short of perfection. His path is one of ultimate perfection. It’s the way to become like Him and our Savior, Jesus Christ. And the best part about it? We don’t walk that path alone. We can’t walk that path alone. Both God and Christ are right there on either side of each of us, helping us reach the perfection and state of happiness they desire for every one of us. It’s a life-long pursuit, even an after-life pursuit, and one that brings purpose, direction, and happiness to my life as I develop personal relationships with God and my Savior.

To sum up: happiness is not an end goal in itself, but a natural by-product of a much greater end goal. As I strive to follow His path, I’ve found that happiness naturally follows. We aren’t meant to know all things in this life. Sometimes I find myself asking why, because I can’t see the end from the beginning. Sometimes it takes a great amount of faith to walk that path, but I am putting my faith in Someone who never fails. Things always work out.

This post went a completely different direction than I originally intended (think: long post about what I did this semester, rather than what I learned), but as I looked back and reflected on this semester, and this entire year, this is what I thought about. Like I said, it’s the most wonderful lesson of my life so far, and I look forward to learning and progressing toward even greater happiness that is to come.