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Joseph Smith once commented that “Happiness is the object and design of our whole existence”. I have been reading
Flourishby Martin Seligman, one of the father’s of Positive Psychology. He argues that happiness (which he calls Positive Emotion) is only one component of a truly flourishing life. To be truly flourishing, one must have strength in the following factors which spell PERMA: 1. Positive Emotion
2. Engagement
3. Relationships
4. Meaning
5. Achievement
I think he would revise Joseph Smih’s statment to read “Well-Being is the object and design of our whole existence”. Or, would rewrite the rights of an American to read “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Well-Being”. (This is simply my opinion).
This leads me to the question — if you like Seligman’s five factors of the well-being concept, how might an unorthodox person FLOURISH in the LDS Church?
How can you have Positive Emotion while in the LDS Church?
How can you contribute to our local Ward or Stake in a way that Engaging, where time passes quickly because you are so “into” what you are doing (as I was in my Loud Shirt HP lesson last week)?
How can you have Relationships that are fulfilling in the LDS Church?
How can you experience Mormonism in a way that is personally Meaningful to you – contributing in ways that you feel are valuable for you personally?
How can you have Achievement within the LDS culture?
Answer these questions, and Seligman says you will have “well-being”.
I’m curious — how do you stack up against his 5 factors of well-being? If you don’t have the five factors, how can you get them given your unorthodoxy?
For me personally, loving and serving others answers the first four and maybe the fifth too. But that answer grew on me over the years and took time for me to realize that’s the key. So many are caught up in callings and status in the church, that blinds them to the simplicity. I have had friends who felt unimportant, unused, disregarded and who really struggled consequently. But can anyone really control you loving and serving others? I did have a small group of people who tried to control me in this aspect. They were wrong in their thinking about this. It didn’t stop me. Consequenty, I have been able to feel engaged even though at one point I was pretty sure I was being blacklisted from callings, being asked to pray or to speak. I think it was President Monson who pointed out there are people who need service from us all around us.
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