Our world is full of challenges.

War, natural disasters, inflation, food shortages, a pandemic—these are things we are all experiencing together.

But there are also personal struggles—divorce, abuse, poverty, sickness, job insecurity, and so much more.

With so much hardship in the world, it’s easy to stay focused on the negative. But a focus on the negative is just going to perpetuate more negatively. It really is a downward spiral and a continuous negative cycle that is difficult to get out of.

But there is a way to counteract the negative in a powerful and healthy way—by cultivating a spirit of happiness and optimism.

This may seem like an over-simplified way of facing life’s challenges, but as simple as it sounds, research shows that it actually works. And I have certainly seen the truth of that with my own counseling clients.

Happiness is a choice that we have to choose over and over again. But once we make it a habit, it will become a natural and resilient way of facing the world around us.

Choosing happiness can be hard at times, but there are things we can do to cultivate the spirit of happiness and optimism in our lives.

Recently, I read an excerpt from the life of Gordon B. Hinckley, and I was inspired by the life that he lived.

Here are four things I learned from his remarkable life that can help us choose happiness.

Accentuate the Positive

In other words, make a conscious decision to see the good in life.

I’m not talking about ignoring your challenging circumstances. Life is hard, and sometimes our circumstances are incredibly challenging.

I’m talking about focusing on the good while you are in those circumstances.

Every rainstorm has a rainbow. We need to earnestly seek those precious rays of light so they can reflect the good back to us.

Gordon B. Hinckley said:

“I come … with a plea that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I’m suggesting that we accentuate the positive. I’m asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort…

What I am suggesting and asking is that we turn from the negativism that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good in the land and times in which we live, that we speak of one another’s virtues more than we speak of one another’s faults, that optimism replace pessimism. Let our faith replace our fears.”

When you choose to look for the good in your circumstances, in others, and in yourself, I promise you will find it. What you seek for, you will find—and the good is always there, just waiting to be found.

Have an Attitude of Gratitude

Gordon B. Hinckley said:

“With gratitude in our hearts, let us not dwell upon the few problems we have. Let us rather count our blessings… Let a spirit of thanksgiving guide and bless your days and nights. Work at it. You will find it will yield wonderful results.”

If you want to know one of the best ways to choose happiness every day—have an attitude of gratitude.

Gratitude reminds us of what we have and all the blessings God has given us.

Gratitude will naturally lift our mood and help us to see things from a more positive perspective.

Gratitude even increases our energy levels and brings more light into our lives. It literally raises our vibrational levels.

When we have gratitude in our hearts, it’s impossible to harbor feelings of anger, bitterness, or contempt.

When you start to feel negative feelings creep in, make a mental list of what you’re grateful for and silently send up thanks for those blessings. Better still, keep a gratitude journal and review it often.

You will be amazed at the difference this will make in life’s challenging moments. And it is a positive feeling you will be able to carry with you throughout your life.

If you can make an attitude of gratitude a daily habit, you will live a happier, more fulfilled life.  

Find What Brings You Joy

We all have things that make our hearts sing with joy. These things were given to us because, while this life is meant to teach us through experience, it is also meant to be joyful.

I love this thought from Gordon B. Hinckley:

“Let there be something of a light tone in your life. Let there be fun and happiness, a sense of humor, the capacity to laugh occasionally at things that are funny.

In all of living have much of fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.”

Even in the difficulty of day-to-day living, we need to create moments of joy and laughter.

In the end, it’s the simple things that will bring us the greatest joy—spending time with your family, having lunch with a friend, reading a good book, or going for a walk in nature.

It’s the simple things that will enable us to get through the difficulties life throws at us and find true happiness in the center of it.

Give Compliments, Not Complaints

We are living in a time where it’s easy to see all that’s wrong with the world. And all too often, we may find ourselves becoming critical of the world and the people in it.

But, as Gordon B. Hinckley’s father said:

“Cynics do not contribute, skeptics do not create, doubters do not achieve.”

This is wise counsel to all of us.

Complaining doesn’t contribute anything positive to society. Instead, it perpetuates that negative thought process and pushes it onto others.

Compliments, on the other hand, lift, strengthen, and bless others, in addition to lifting your own heart.

Compliments build others up, and they are a sure way to spread happiness.

Gordon B. Hinckley said:

“I meet so many people who constantly complain about the burden of their responsibilities. Of course the pressures are great. There is much, too much, to do. There are financial burdens to add to all of these pressures, and with all of this we are prone to complain, frequently at home, often in public. Turn your thinking around… Be happy! Let that happiness shine through your faces and speak through your testimonies.”

Our words can do so much to heal and to bless the world. They can also do so much to bless our own lives and the lives of the people around us.  

If you want to be happy, use your words to spread happiness to others.

Even in a challenging world, happiness can still be found if we are looking in the right places and making those daily choices that will allow us to cultivate happiness in our own lives.

What are you going to do today to cultivate happiness and optimism in your life? 

It’s a good day to do good and to be happy!