"Keep Smiling and One Day Life Will Get Tired of Upsetting You" - Anonymous

So, in case I haven't said it before, I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I'm a really religious person. And I know that not everyone is that way. But I think there's a lot anyone can learn from any religion, even if they don't accept some of the doctrines. For example, I think the world as a whole needs to be more grateful.

Let me tell you a story. It's called my Institute (which is basically an LDS religion class at the college level, the high school equivalent is called seminary) teacher is a genius and told us this cool way of looking at the world. Here it goes:

This is a picture of life.

Let me explain. Life is made up of highs and lows and most people go through life thinking the point is to maximize the highs and minimize the lows. But here's the thing. That's actually not what life is about. Going through hard things makes you stronger. And you learn - about yourself, and how to handle things in the future, and who you can rely on (whether that's a 'higher power' or family or close friends or all of the above) and so many other things. Going through hard things can bring you closer to the people you love. And you gain confidence and new perspectives. And so much more.

But you have to let all that happen.

Having bad things happen in your life is not optional. But suffering is.

Now, don't get me wrong. Everyone is going to have a bad day. Where they ask "why me?" Or they just need to cry it out. But it would be nice if we could have fewer of those days. And maybe when we do have those days try to still be grateful.

I don't know if I believe that life will get tired of upsetting you. But I do think our capacity to be grateful will increase with age if we practice that kind of lifestyle now. And along with that thankfulness will be a greater capacity to be happy, love, help others, and all the other positive characteristics. Gratitude is a gateway attribute.

Gratitude puts you in a better mood. You're happier when you're thankful. As a general rule, I'm a happy person. But I would like to be even happier.

If you're grateful no matter what the situation rather than because of the situation, you'll be a much more positive person.

And positive people make the world more positive.

Also, religious or not, this is a much better description of what I'm trying to say, so you should read it. Or not. That's called agency or freedom of choice.

In order to help you smile and be a little bit more grateful, here's a fun picture from the blog Hyperbole and a Half that describes this post and how we should respond to life's ups and downs!

Have a great day!