New Glasses

I just returned from a business trip with a friend of mine. We spent five days together somewhere warmer than where we live. We talked, laughed, whined a little, and then reminded each other how blessed we really are. We each returned home more relaxed, rejuvenated, with creative juices flowing and ready to make some positive changes in our business and personal lives. It was good to take a break and get lost for a while. We have come back with a new perspective.

In this week’s reading was a pamphlet entitled, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (A Cautionary Tale)”. The author listed methods of true happiness by getting “lost” in various activities, one of which was subtitled “Gratitude: Losing Yourself in Thanks and Generosity.” Some of the ways to do that include keeping a journal, volunteering, donating to a good cause, practicing gratitude, and having a positive attitude. I have had some personal success with consciously applying a good attitude to less than pleasant situations, and it has helped.

As an adult, I have had to get “new lenses” with which to view many things, including money. I recognize that the way I saw money in my childhood home has caused me to view it through an unhealthy filter as an adult. Incorrectly viewing one’s adult responsibilities can cause undue stress and strain on self and family. Skewed ideas about finances are no different. In fact, because money is so interwoven into every fabric of our lives, erroneous fiscal behaviors can be a leading cause of quick temporal, emotional, and spiritual decline.

In the Book of Mormon, Jacob teaches us the way to Lord’s way to prosper, “And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good.” Wealth itself is not evil. And, if we seek it in the Lord’s way and for his purposes, we can achieve it.