9 Ways to be Happy and Make Something of your Life 

Gordon B. Hinckley

1. Be Grateful 

To be grateful is to feel or show an appreciation of kindness. A way you can show you are grateful is is by appreciating everything you have received and by writing down in a journal what you were grateful for that day and continue doing that until you die. You can also show gratitude to those who are less fortunate than you are and help the ones who are in need of assistances. A third way you can show you are grateful is by saying your prayers when you wake up in the morning, before you eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and also before you go to sleep, because that is how you are thanking God for another day and how much you appreciate your family has some kind of income in order to buy what you need because it is a blessing that must not be taken for granted."Be Grateful for small things, big things, and everything in between. Count your blessings, not your problems." I chose this quote, because not only did it stand out to me, but because sometimes people forget to be grateful for EVERYTHING they have today and are way to unappreciative. People who are thankful mindfully use their social media to spread their kindful acts. "Technology and devices are criticized because you are less connected, but if used correctly i think it can be the opposite",Emmons said. Lastly everyone should be grateful for their family and spend every little time you have with them because you do not know when it is either you or their last time on this earth. Remember not everyone has the family to care for so take advantage of yours.

2. Be Smart 

As i was reading an article i read that some people argue that you're either born smart or you're not but they are wrong, because we are all equally as smart it's just that some people just push themselves more to gain more knowledge. All you have to do is study the topic in the best of your abilities. To be smart pick a topic you want to lecture about, but make sure you have some sort of interest in it because then it will bore you and then you'll probably not find it interesting at all and research it

 The second thing you want to do it is read through your research slowly so you can understand it better.  once you're you're done with that you can explain it to yourself to hear if you were making sense or if you just found an updated research. Being smart is also knowing what decisions you're making and making sure that they're the right decisions as well. You also have to make sure you educate yourself about the world around you because it's always good to know what's going on and what you can possibly do to improve it. Being smart can also improve your well being and give others a good appearance of yourself.

3. Be Involved in Good Work 

Ways you can be involved in good work can be as simple as helping someone cross the street or helping them with their homework. Being involved in good work can also make you feel good like you did the right thing which you did and also makes you proud of yourself. For example if you do community work or volunteer work then you are being involved in good work. Hanging out with the right people also increases of you possibly getting involved in school activities and that is doing something good because then you are supporting the school by going to those events. Also by going to the hospital to visit some people or kids that you never met can also be doing something good because you are helping them not feel lonely. Basically anything that you set to put you own time out of your day to do something that is good id helpful and like i said it can be as simple as walking someones dog or babysitting your sibling or siblings so your parent(s) can go have a nice night with some friends or co-workers. Getting good grades is also being involved in good work because it shows how dedicated you are in your studies, especially if you play a sport and have good sports man ship such as helping a teammate with difficulties they are having with a certain problem is good work. Also helping out to get the breakfast for your class in the morning is being involved in good work because you didn't have to do any of things or examples i gave above you chose to do it and that just means your are a kind person. Doing all this can also show others or influence others to start choosing the right and help others with any problem or difficulty they are facing at the moment so do what is right and continue spreading the love and kindness.

4. Be Clean 

Several ways you can be clan is by helping your enviroment such as picking up trash from the floor, because sadly there are people in this world that we live in today that litter. Another step towards living a clean life is helping out you mom by learning how to clean your own room or to learn how to pick up after yourself because its basic stuff you should've of learned since you were able to walk lol.  You can be clean by also washing yourself daily by taking a bath every other day. Did you know to have a clean body you have to wash your face not once but twice a day?.  You also have to make sure you wash your hands daily, because you can pick up gems qwith anything you touch. Another way you can be clean is by staying drug-free! Staying drug-free means alot because then you dont have to be killing your brain cells and after you kill those they won't be able to grow back. Another reason people should stay clean is because they have there whole life ahead of them and they might not think so but they do and by taking drugs it will limitate those options. So make sure to help keep your environment safe and clean but also make sure to keep yourself clean like your BO and staying drug-free.

5. Be True

 To be true to yourself means to act in a accordance with who you are and what you believe. If you know and love yourself you will find it effortless to be true to yourself. Just as you can't love others until you've learned how to love and appreciate yourself. Make sure you always have the courage to accept yourself and who you are, not the person you think or others think you should be. The number one rule to staying true is to making sure you stay true to yourself , because if you cant stay true to yourself what makes you think you can stay true to others. By staying true to yourself, you can start off by being honest with yourself. Such as when you know you're falling behind on your work don't procastinate even more and tell yourself that it'll be fine because it wont be that'll really hurt your grade. Admitting you have a problem can be another way of staying true to yourself. For example if you have a drug problem and deny and tell yourself or others that your fine you're only lying to yourself remember that. If you want others to stay try to you should should be staying true to them as well. Another main thing about being true is MAKE sure that you are true to your parents.! I don;t think that it's right that you lie to them when all they do for you is be there to support what you do, whether it's something they don't approve of. I believe that it is also important to stay true to not only yourself but to others because your life will not only be better but you will have more opportunities in life by being yourself than pretending to be someone they're looking for. There's only one you and no one can replace you so take a stand in who you are!

6. Be Positive

Being Positive is the number one way to go. Whether you didn't study for a test just be positive and confident about your answers and that you got a passing grade on your test and who knows maybe your positivity gave you the strength to help you. When I say this I don't mean never study or your test or just think positive about everything and it'll go your way, because its not like that if you work for it then your positive will give a reassurance that you get good back. For example if you're going through a difficult time then just stay positive through it all and everything will turn out fine for you as long as you stay positive and hopeful the impossible will become possible. Staying positive is the frame of the mind, the strength and the hope you maintain in a difficult situation. Staying positive is also being confident that you'll manage to get a solution out of your situation. Being positive is also being aware that of the fact that no situation is permanent, and that you are more than the sum of your current circumstances. Another example is if you're looking for work stay positive, because if you don't get the job you were hoping for that's because a better opportunity is coming your way even though it doesn't seem like it is never think negative and always stay hopeful. When you're positive you also spend positivity everywhere especially if you're gong through a rough time and people see how positive you've been about your current situation it'll motivate others to stay that way because what you go through is just merely a test of how far you can go before you give up,  SO NEVER GIVE UP AND STAY POSITIVE.

7. Be Humble

To be humble is having or showing a modest or low estimate of one's own importance. The secret to success and fulillment may very well lie in the ability to empress humility. Humility in philosophy and religious texts shows that it's a trait and principle that deserves to be revealed. In today's coorpate culture humble people are often seen as unassertive and passive types. In studies it has shown that people that have associated with humility have good leadership, healthy adjustments. and other positive motions. I believe to stay humble all you have to do is think about others and not just yourself. If you only think about yourself you're being selfish, and that's not good because that's what you're influencing others to do. Especially if you're an older sibling you should be thinking about whats best for your siblings and yourself not just yourself. I'm not saying to forget about yourself and not think about your needs but it's always good to focus your energy on others too. For example when you have a child it's not about your needs anymore it's about your child's needs and putting them before you put yourself. They do it in a mindful manner that doesn't end up hurting themselves in the long run." Some people think of humility as thinking little of yourself, but i would say it's someone who just doesn't think about themselves that much." " Their focus is just outward. They have a real interest in others and their contributions to the world."

8. Be Still 

To be still is to be calm; stillness. Being calm can be a positive thing because it lets you focus on what's happening and doesn't frustrate you when you're upset or angry. Being still can also help you in the future as in college and highschool. I believe people should stay calm, because it will give them a better understanding of why and what the reasons people did something to them. Sometimes it's also good just to stay still and think because you get to think about whats going on with current events and helps you catch up with school if you need too. Being still can also be a way to let things out of your system can one can only hold so much. Things come and go and then all happened for certain reasons some of us can't answer. You must always remember that patience is the key to happiness. People with patience have a better chance of getting whats coming to them and i mean that in a good way because good things happen or come to those who wait for it. Remember that when you're going through a rough time is because God wants to test how strong you are because he knows that you are capable of getting through anything that he throws at you and that you wouldn't change if he ends up rewarding you in the future because you kept your patience and still believed that something good would come out of what ever situation you are/were in. Try to make up for the bad things you did in life too so you can be able to move on from them because they'll just hold you from something bigger that you will accomplish with all the good you have in you now.

9. Final Reflection 

Staying prayful can lead you to the right path evey though you've done bad things and made up for them in the future or along the way. God has a plan for us all and as long as we go will it and stay together and wait until he decides when were ready to accept what and where were placed. God works in many ways so you just have to go with it or adjust to it so you can move on from it. Remember whenever you're in a bad situation never give up or God or yourself. Make sure not to block yourself out from your family and to continue to attend masses and to pray day and night. Because remeber things happen for a reason and they will continue to get better.

"There they are, nine Be’s which, if observed, will bring handsome dividends to any young man or woman. They will add sparkle to your days and peace to your nights. They will save you from heartache and pain. They will bring purpose into your life and give direction to your energies.

"They will bring you friends of your own kind. They will protect you from associations that would pull you down and deflect you from your course.

Thus is a time to be happy. This is a time to feel joy and make friends and enjoy the best this life has to offer. What I have tried to put forth .... are simply a few suggestions, gained from many years of living, to help you do just that. The world will tell that certain kinds of things will bring you happiness – things such as popularity and possessions and satisfying your baser desires.

If today you find yourself only drifting as a leaf in a stream, get hold of yourself and determine you will do better.

At railroad grade crossing, signs of warning were once common. Two cross arms were emblazoned with the words, “Stop, Look, Listen.” They meant that a train could be roaring down the tracks and you had better be alert.

I was riding a train in the Midwest years ago. I looked out the window to my left. A road ran parallel to the tracks. A car with a boy and a girl was speeding down the road a little faster than the train. The car moved ahead until I can no longer see it. Suddenly, the locomotive whistle sounded and the train screeched to a halt as the brakes gripped the wheels. We looked out the window on to the other side. There was a mangled car. Police cars soon converged, followed by the ambulance. The boy and girl were both dead. The road they were traveling crossed the tracks. They did not stop, look, or listen. It all happened in an instant.

The better way to Be is the way of these nine Be’s.

The years will inevitably pass, and pass quickly. Today is your day of resolution. Promise yourself to make something good of (your) precious life."