Live Pain Free!

The best part of BYU/Relief Society Conference is all the people you meet. Some of you were kind enough to introduce yourselves which was very exciting for me. As I’ve stated here, I feel like you are all my good friends—the kind you chat with daily—so it was great to actually see you. There were others who didn’t have time to say hello, but who have emailed me or left comments here. Thank you!

For those of you who weren’t able to attend the conference, some of the sessions (not mine) will be rebroadcast on BYU-TV and KBYU on May 13 and 14. It will be worth your time to see it. Of course, you will miss the fresh fudge and the mint brownies, but maybe you could make some to eat while you watch.

I spoke on differentiating between necessary and unnecessary pain, and specifically on how unnecessary unnecessary pain is. (That isn't a typo, but you may have to read it twice to understand!) The surprising thing to me as I’ve been speaking on this topic the last year is how everyone laughs as they recognize themselves as creators of unnecessary pain and Friday was no exception. It shouldn’t be surprising to me because that’s what I found myself doing as I learned about unnecessary pain and began to see how I was creating it in myself. Some of the things we do are so absurd when we step back and really see them for what they are!

So my challenge today is for you to pay close attention to your feelings and when you begin to feel anything negative—any pain—examine what is causing it. Is it necessary pain or unnecessary pain? And if it is unnecessary pain, laugh it away. If you are like me, you will be surprised at how much of your pain is unnecessary and just recognizing that fact sends it flying.