The Pursuit of Happiness

Webster's defines happy as "having, showing, or causing great pleasure". 

A friend and I recently started a list of things that make us happy. When we started it was really intended to be an on-going list, but it's turned into one. We've each come up with a semi-decent sized list by now (I'm not really sure how many things are on my list because she is the one writing them all down to keep track). However, this list has made me realize some things.

1) There are SO many things in this life that can make someone happy if you stop to think about it. This morning when I woke up, there was a little bit of sunshine coming through my window and I realized that that simple thing made my day  a little brighter already (no pun intended). Some of the simplest things can make you happy when you stop to think about it.

2) Life gets a little easier when you are trying to find the good things that make you happy. Last week wasn't the greatest week for me, nothing absolutely horrible happened, but a couple things that sucked did. However, this week I've been looking for things that make me happy, and finding them everywhere, and I haven't had a bad day since! The first day, Monday, wasn't great up until I started my list with my friend and it just went up hill from then on. You might say it's just a coincidence, but I know better.

3) When life gives you lemons, think of how happy lemonade makes you (unless you hate lemonade and then there's no happiness for you). We live in a country where the "pursuit of happiness" is something we are all guaranteed, assuming we abide by the laws. But we are only guaranteed the pursuit of happiness, so make the pursuit easier by looking for happiness, cause happiness is at your door, waiting for you to realize it's knocking.

I guess right now is a good time to put in my religious stand point too. Not my full on testimony, that's coming. I'm not saying that you have to believe in my religion (or any specific religion) to find happiness, but having something good to stand for and believe in also makes the pursuit of happiness a little easier. I know that being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has made me a better person, and having those morals to stand up for makes my pursuit of happiness that much easier.