So it's been a while since my last post.
Lots of things have been going on and I just haven't had the time/motivation to keep up.
But the other day I really had this change in perspective.
Only you can make yourself happy.
I know, you're probably thinking "Duh! We've all known that for a really long time." and trust me, I have too. But I was having  a really rough day last week and for some reason that idea really resonated with me. I can sit there for all I want and say "So and so did this and it made me unhappy" but that's not the truth. Yes, I can feel sad or have my feelings hurt by the actions of another person, but they can't make me unhappy....that's a choice that I make for myself. Yes, there may be times when I'm feeling pretty low after someone has done something thoughtless or inconsiderate but I can choose to dwell on that and be unhappy or I can choose to forget about it (because I can't change it), put a smile on my face, laugh, and just try my best to be happy.
Again, I've known this conceptually for a really long time, as we all have. But for some reason this past week it really has stuck with me and it's a principle that I'm trying to implement into my life.
I can't depend on other people to do things to make me happy, if I do I'm likely going to spend a fair amount of my life disappointed. Instead I have to develop myself. Do things for myself that will make me a better person and help me to grow. That combined with the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way to be happy. So that's something that I need to work on. As long as I'm making sure that I'm doing what I'm supposed to and doing things that I enjoy and make me feel good about myself then the Lord will bless me.
I'm not suggesting that we should only consider ourselves. The scriptures say that we need to consider and serve our fellow man. But at the end of the day only you  are responsible for what kind of day you've had and whether or not you're happy.