"It's all about ME"

So at first glance this post may seem like a post all about me, but it's not. I wanted to talk about something I have been thinking alot about lately. It all started when I was home for thanksgiving a month or so ago. My mom and I went to a clothing store to shop around and she ended up buying me a few things. As we were checking out the lady asked her if she needed any gift boxes and my mom said no it's not a gift to which the lady replied "Oh a gift for yourself, the best kind of gift I say." My mom was off in another world haha so she didn't hear the lady say this but I did and it really struck me. How could someone say that? That one statement showed me this ladys character. Since then I have been really sensitive and on the lookout for signs of this self absorbed, please myself attitude. When I watch TV I think about what the commercials are appealing to when they sell their merchandise; they almost always appeal to making oneself happy. Everything is about me and I. True happiness does not come from focusing on yourself and helping yourself out. You cannot craft your own happiness by focusing solely on yourself. Happiness comes from helping others and thinking about ways to improve other peoples lives. When we lose ourself in helping other people and are on the lookout for ways to improve other peoples quality of life we will be able to be happier. When we are in the service of our fellow men we are only in the service of our God. Our Heavenly Father is pleased with us when we stop focusing on how to make our lives easier and focus, rather, on how to make someone elses burden lighter. Let's not always be looking for the easiest, quickest, most convenient way to do something. Instead, let us seek out the path that is filled with opportunities to serve others, opportunities for growth, the path that widens our learning capacities and strenghens us; the path which will bring us closer to our Heavenly Father. When we make a decision let us not think about how it will affect only ourselves but rather think about how it will affect those around us. I have made many choices in my life where I was just thinking about Danielle, often times the end result has not made me happy or made life better; I have been left with undesireable consequences and a guilty conscience. When I have made decisions where I have focused on what the effects may be on others I have found that I am happier and that life has gone more smoothly. I am not saying it is easy to think of the greater good when making decisions, but I am saying that when the day is over you will be grateful that you did, your conscience will be clear and you will know that you did the right thing. Yesterday in church one of the speakers said to ask yourself at the end of everyday if you had done something for someone else that day, if you had then you are on the right track. Sometimes just a smile or a wave is the only service we can render and if that is the case then that is good enough. I think one of the greatest services we can do is to be kind. Be kind to your family, the people you encounter everyday, to a stranger, just show kindness and respect to everyone. You never know what someone is going through. How easy it would be for us to be nice if everyone wore a whiteboard around their neck saying what was going on in their lives: "my mom died yesterday" "my dad lost his job last week" "i don't know how i will feed my children tonight" "i failed an important test at school today." We do not know what is happening in a persons life; we must treat everyone with kindness. Do not belittle others or look down on them. You do not know their situation. We are all children of our Heavenly Father; we all have divine potential. Let us try to do a little better everyday.