Simplify

Have you ever wished for your problems to be taken from you? Have you ever hoped for a lighter load to carry? Have you ever wondered why life can be so challenging and so complicated?

One of the reasons problems and challenges can be so frustrating is because we have little control over them. There really is very little we can completely control. When we focus on things we cannot control, we become miserable, discouraged, and perhaps even angry. Quite literally, our lives spin out of control because we are incapable of affecting the things we are trying to control!

It is much more helpful to focus on what we can control: our attitudes and our actions. That's pretty simple, right? When I focus on the ten million things I have no control over (think politics, unfair refereeing in the basketball game, gas prices, unemployment, my order being incorrect at Wendy's, the list goes on...) I become exhausted and overwhelmed. But when I focus on two fundamental things I have absolute control over (again, attitudes and actions), I not only endure life; I enjoy it. Beyond simply surviving I am then capable of thriving.

All truly great people have mastered this pattern of thinking. I'm still trying to internalize it. I learn much from the words of Elder Neil L. Andersen:

How do we find our way through the many things that matter? We simplify and purify our perspective. Some things are evil and must be avoided; some things are nice; some things are important; and some things are absolutely essential. The Savior said, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

Here are some other great references on simplifying our lives and focusing on what matters most:

Elder L. Tom Perry, Let Him Do It with Simplicity
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Good, Better, Best