A miracle occurred last Thursday, I finished my second year of law school. The end of each school year is a convenient time to sit down and reflect over the past year. As I did so, I realized, not for the first time, that the past 8 years have been extremely good to me. My life was changed by a 2-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I had the time of my life at Utah State University for 4 years, and in the past 2 years I have found a new home in the near-perfect Bay Area. I may act like a kid most of the time, but that's only a facade to keep the gold diggers at bay, in reality I have learned a lot and become quite the mature and well-refined man. Among the most important lessons I have learned is how to be happy. I know that I have preached on this topic many times before, but bear with me as I share a few insights I have learned over the years.
First, I realized that I can't control events or people around me and that I can only choose how to react or how I to view the situation. Basically, I can choose to look at life in a positive light and be happy, or I can choose to look at life in a negative light and be unhappy. I choose happy.
Second, I learned that happiness comes when we live in the present. I wrote about this a few years ago in a blog titled "Later Now, or Now Later?" I would highly suggest reading it even if you've read it before. Not only does it show just how witty and funny I am, but it teaches an important principle of happiness. But if you're too lazy to do that, it can be summed up by a quote from Kung Fu Panda: "The past is history, the future is a mystery, but today is a gift, that is why they call it the present."
Third, I realized that happiness and enjoying life revolves around the people and relationships in our lives. All the things we do, places we see, and things we own mean next to nothing without people to share them with. Sometimes relationships are hard to build and maintain because people can be frustrating and hurtful; so we often forget just how vital they are to our happiness. Good relationships are about loving and being loved and loving/being loved is the most fulfilling type of happiness we can have in this life and it would be impossible to experience without relationships.
Friends and Family, that is what life is all about.
Cheesy, but true.
Cheesy, but true.
Happiness is a choice we make, but it is also a consequence of our choices. I am living evidence that anyone can be happy if they choose to be, so...Just Choose It.
3 comments:
Wise words my friend.
Well said bestie. I actually listened to a Psychologist speak last night who's done studies on happiness, it was really interesting. Happy is the way to go!
Hey! That's me in some of those pictures! I don't know how I didn't see this post two years ago (but thanks to a slow work day, I have now)... And I don't know how you'll see this in the relative future since you haven't blogged in forever. This'll be a fun game.
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