To be Happy

Yesterday at church a man gave a talk about being happy. He said something very profound about goals, and it is really just common sense but something that needs to be said out loud every once in awhile for a reminder. He said something to the effect of "If you work towards your goals you will achieve them and if you don't you won't." You would think that this would just be something we all know, but then why are there people every day that fail at their goals? This is an easily understood concept, especially in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we are taught that it is important to understand what our consequences to any action we take is before we actually take it, because it could either make or break our goals depending on the decision. A major thing in our churhc is all about prevention and achieving goals. So why do so many people have a hard time with their goals, especially those pertaining to losing weight and being healthy? For me personally, I think the reason why I have a hard time with it is because unlike some things like saying the Lord's name in vain or stealing or murder or committing adultery which I know are outright wrong things and absolute should not do them, eating unhealthy food and not exercising has become commonplace in the United States. I am somewhat jealous of other countries wehre the lifestyle is so different that people don't even have to woryr about weight because it is a non-issue. Their lives are full of healthy eating and physical activity that they don't have to worry about it. Here in the U.S. our lives are surrounded by food, and lots of it. At parties it is okay to eat a lot, it is almost encouraged to over eat. It is okay to eat chocolate cake and potato chips. It is okay to drink 32 ounces of soda in one seating. Eating unhealthily has become okay when it should not be. Being sedentary has also become commonplace in this country. Unfortunately I am most definitely guilty of being sedentary and of eating too many deserts. I need moderation in my life, both of foods I eat and moderation when it comes to sedentary living. It is okay to have a piece of cake every once in awhile and it is okay to rest but there also neeeds to be lots of veggies and fruits and lots of activity to maintain a healthy noral weight-lifestyle. So, I guess what I am getting at is that if we want to live more like the Italians who don't have to worry about weight, we can we just have to do it. We have to eat healthy. We have to be active. If we want it do it and it will come true, but if we do the opposite the opposite will happen. If we want to lose weight we exercise and eat healthy and work on our mental health as well. They all need to be worked on for one to lose weight and keep it off. So this is my goal: to live like, the Italians. I know that it will be hard and I may have set backs, but I am going to try and I will do it because I want it. I have the desire now I need to act on that desire, the simple principle of faith huh?