joy quest: destinations

I was listening to this talk, Return and Receive, by M. Russell Ballard, and joy began filling my heart.  There are many golden messages to help me right now as I try to find my way to find daily joy. I want to share some of what I learned.

Knowing what matters most is a big factor for finding joy:

Goal setting is essentially beginning with the end in mind. And planning is devising a way to get to that end. A key to happiness lies in understanding what destinations truly matter—and then spending our time, effort, and attention on the things that constitute a sure way to arrive there.

Understanding God's plan for us and setting good goals lead us to joy:

I believe that one important key to happiness is to learn how to set our own goals and establish our own plans within the framework of our Heavenly Father’s eternal plan. 

Introspection is an essential companion to receiving the joy that comes with blessings:

I have found that to stay focused on returning and receiving the promised blessings, I need to regularly take time to ask myself, “How am I doing?” 

As I contemplate how I receive joy—and inadvertently reject joy—I recognize that these words are not just nice words, but they are key tools for helping me get where I want to go. I want to have a joy-filled journey. I want to create my eternity each day. Somehow I will make my way, and I am thankful I decided to study this talk. My heart has been given more hope, more real ways to find my way to receiving blessings I need, and joy—a well deserved measure of joy. My destination is heavenly joy, and I know I can arrive at it one step at a time as I trust in God.