True Happiness

Happiness is knowing that God agrees with you.

Happiness is more sought after than anything else, yet very few really know anything about it.

Happiness is being able to love those that hate you as well as those that love you.

Happiness is knowing that whatever happens, it will be for the best.

Happiness is having control over your own life. 

Happiness is knowing that you can handle anything thrown at you.

Happiness is self-made.

Happiness does not come from or because of anyone else.

True happiness is knowing who you are and living up to your potential.

I am.

The two most powerful words.

How do we define ourselves? How should we? We tend to define ourselves by the things that make us different. 

I am... a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

That used to be my definition. But should it have been? Was I letting myself down because I was limiting my own potential?

I have several friends that define themselves this way.

I am... homosexual. 

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I do not define myself as heterosexual. But what if I did? How would my life... my outlook change if I defined myself by my sexual orientation?

Then I look around... that is how we define ourselves.

I am... a mother.

I am... a wife.

I am... a fiance.

I am... in a relationship.

I am... single.

We are sexual creatures. Whether we'd like to admit it or not. But are we limiting ourselves? Are we limiting our aspirations because our only true goal in life is to find a companion, so that we can be happy? Can we be happy alone?

What if all of a sudden we stopped letting society tell us what does and doesn't make us happy? Because that is why we think this way. Because media and government and our culture and our families even our religion... they all seem to say one thing. You need a companion and if you don't have one there is something wrong with you. I can not tell you how mystified people get when I tell them that I could be perfectly happy not getting married. It doesn't scare me a bit to graduate single. How sad is that?

We were first created as spiritual beings. Only by coming to earth did we even have a chance at being sexual ones. But should that be all we are?

What about my homosexual friends? By letting this define them they've closed themselves off to being anything else. One of my good friends just recently embraced it and now we really aren't friends anymore... and not by my choice. 

What is true happiness? What kind of happiness lasts forever?

Because contrary to Bohemian belief... we need more than love. 

I am... me.

I am... of infinite potential BECAUSE

I am... a child of God.