When are you
going to be happy? Really, truly happy?
Maybe when you
shed those 15 pounds. When you finally get your degree. When you get the
recognition at work that you deserve. When you finally have life figured
out. When you are in good health
again. When you have your own family.
When you make more money. When your family grows up and moves out so you
can reclaim your house.
We’re all very
good at putting off happiness. “I’ll be happy when…” we say, longing for the
day when [fill in the blank].
I’ve been guilty
of this on countless occasions. But I’m finally starting to realize that my
job, friends, circumstances, etc don’t determine my happiness. I do. The only one stopping me from
being happy is myself.
A nurse who looks
after terminally ill people often asks them if they have any regrets.
One of the most common ones is, ‘I wish I had let
myself be happier.’
Speaking about this, Dieter Uchtdorf put it eloquently, “We shouldn’t
wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that
happiness was already available—all the time!”
“Do we listen to beautiful music waiting for the final note to fade
before we allow ourselves to truly enjoy it? No. We listen and connect to the
variations of melody, rhythm, and harmony throughout the composition.
“Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect,”
he said.
So I’ve decided to not put off being completely happy. That doesn’t mean
I can’t have a bad day every now and again. But it means I need to choose to
see the good in every day. And that comes from recognizing the blessings I’ve
been given. :)
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