I’m at this very moment listening to the October 2017 LDS General Conference. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s the three-day long conference where we (Mormons and anybody else who so desires) listen to spiritual messages from leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It’s fantastic.

Now you might be thinking, “What’s fantastic about what amounts to 10 hours of sermons?”

It’s the light.

These conferences bring light into my life; they inspire me to be better. There’s no berating or hellfire. There’s no scaring me into change. It’s all about God’s love, Jesus Christ’s love, and doing the best we can with the understanding that that divine love does the rest.

Light chases out darkness, beats back sadness. By choosing to listen to these inspiring messages and work at becoming a better person, I’m choosing light. I’m choosing joy.

Religion might not appeal to you. I encourage you to give it a try; it’s giving me more hope and joy than I can describe. But if not, get inspired in a different way. Listen to a motivational speaker, listen to podcasts, go hiking. Do something that inspires you, that makes you reach for the best part of yourself, and you’ll find happiness as you change and shift to reach your own potential.

Choose Joy.

—A