{"id":12552,"date":"2020-04-30T20:15:53","date_gmt":"2020-05-01T02:15:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amyreesanderson.com\/blog\/?p=12552"},"modified":"2020-04-30T20:18:36","modified_gmt":"2020-05-01T02:18:36","slug":"resolve-to-be-happy-regardless-of-our-circumstances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.amyreesanderson.com\/blog\/resolve-to-be-happy-regardless-of-our-circumstances\/","title":{"rendered":"Resolve To Be Happy Regardless Of Our Circumstances"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With all that’s going on currently with COVID-19 the words of this talk which shares some universal regrets that dying patients have gives us much to consider about how we ought to look at things. It’s a talk given by one of my favorite speakers, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, titled “Of Regrets and Resolutions<\/a>” and here is an excerpt: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we are young, it seems that we will live forever. We think there is a limitless supply of sunrises waiting just beyond the horizon, and the future looks to us like an unbroken road stretching endlessly before us.   However, the older we get, the more we tend to look back and marvel at how short that road really is. We wonder how the years could have passed so quickly. And we begin to think about the choices we made and the things we have done. In the process, we remember many sweet moments that give warmth to our souls and joy to our hearts. But we also remember the regrets\u2014the things we wish we could go back and change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A nurse who cares for the terminally ill says that she has often\nasked a simple question of her patients as they prepared to depart this life.  \u201cDo you have any regrets?\u201d she would ask.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the most universal regret dying patients expressed was\nthat they wished they had spent more\ntime with the people they love.  <\/strong>Isn\u2019t it true that we often get so busy? And,\nsad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being\nbusy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life.  Is it? \n\u2026If we fail to give our best personal self and undivided time to those\nwho are truly important to us, one day we will regret it.  Let us resolve to cherish those we love by\nspending meaningful time with them, doing things together, and cultivating\ntreasured memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another regret people expressed was that they failed to become the person they felt they could and\nshould have been.<\/strong> When they looked\nback on their lives, they realized that they never lived up to their potential,\nthat too many songs remained unsung.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another regret of those who knew they were dying may be somewhat\nsurprising. They wished they had let\nthemselves be happier<\/strong>.   <\/strong>So often we get caught up in the illusion that\nthere is something just beyond our reach that would bring us happiness: a\nbetter family situation, a better financial situation, or the end of a\nchallenging trial.  The older we get, the\nmore we look back and realize that external circumstances don\u2019t really matter\nor determine our happiness.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We do matter. We determine our happiness.  You and I are ultimately in charge of our own\nhappiness.  \u2026Sometimes in life we become\nso focused on the finish line that we fail to find joy in the journey\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doesn\u2019t it seem foolish to spoil sweet and joyful experiences because\nwe are constantly anticipating the moment when they will end?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026We shouldn\u2019t wait to be happy until we reach some future point,\nonly to discover that happiness was already available\u2014all the time! Life is not\nmeant to be appreciated only in retrospect. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials,\nthere is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in\neach day that can bring gratitude<\/a> and joy if only we will see and\nappreciate it\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isn\u2019t it better to see\nwith our eyes and hearts even the small things we can be thankful for, rather\nthan magnifying the negative in our current condition?  Let us resolve to be happy, regardless of our\ncircumstances\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022Resolve to spend more time with those we love.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022Resolve to strive more earnestly to become the person God wants\nus to be.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022Resolve to find happiness, regardless of our circumstances.<\/strong> (end of excerpt)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect advice right now! Have a beautiful weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

~Amy Rees Anderson (author of the book \u201cWhat Awesome Looks Like: How To Excel in Business & Life<\/a>\u201d ) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                                                                                              <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With all that’s going on currently with COVID-19 the words of this talk which shares some universal regrets that dying patients have gives us much to consider about how we ought to look at things. It’s a talk given by one of my favorite speakers, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, titled “Of Regrets and Resolutions” and here […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[395,5903,17052,3892,7717,23471,65,17069,17058,17057,17070,464,15112,23470,17053,17068,17067,628,17055,17054,17064,52,17059,17063,17061,17062,23469,17066,647,17065,19932],"class_list":["post-12552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-amy-rees-anderson","tag-be-happy-now","tag-deepest-regrets-of-life","tag-dieter-f-uchtdorf","tag-enjoy-the-moment","tag-find-joy-now","tag-gratitude","tag-happiness-was-already-available","tag-how-short-the-road-really-is","tag-how-to-live-without-regret","tag-its-not-a-race-its-a-journey","tag-joy","tag-joy-in-the-journey","tag-let-yourself-be-happier","tag-life-greatest-regrets","tag-life-is-not-meant-to-be-appreciated-only-in-retrospect","tag-living-up-to-your-potential","tag-make-a-difference","tag-powerful-advice","tag-president-uchtdorf","tag-regardless-of-our-circumstances","tag-regret","tag-remember-the-regrets","tag-resolve-to-find-happiness","tag-resolve-to-spend-more-time-with-those-we-love","tag-resolve-to-strive-more-earnestly-to-become-the-person-god-wants-us-to-be","tag-see-less-with-our-eyes-and-more-with-our-hearts","tag-should-have-been","tag-talk","tag-they-wished-they-had-let-themselves-be-happier","tag-what-awesome-looks-like"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amyreesanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amyreesanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amyreesanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyreesanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyreesanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12552"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyreesanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12556,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyreesanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12552\/revisions\/12556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyreesanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amyreesanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyreesanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyreesanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}