How I Found Happiness in Average Creativity

There’s more to creativity than you might think, and you don’t have to be perfect at being creative to find happiness in it.

Throughout my early years as a young adult, I always felt average—a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. My musical talent was average. My art was average. My writing was average. My athletic ability was average. My baking skill was average. No matter how much time and effort I spent trying to improve, I still felt average.

Maybe, I thought, the problem wasn’t my effort. Maybe there was something out there I was meant to be the best at, and I just hadn’t found it yet. I tried different college majors, found new hobbies, and worked varied jobs. But I still couldn’t find my elusive one true talent, and I felt unhappy the entire time I was searching.

In his talk “Happiness, Your Heritage,” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf offers his thoughts on what true happiness comprises. It is not finding a sole purpose or being the best at something—it is creation and compassion. He suggests that when we create something, we are tapping into the same happiness that God feels.

Creation is not about being the best. President Uchtdorf explains it this way: “Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.” This idea shifted my entire perspective on life. Now when I bake an average loaf of bread or play an average song on the guitar, I find joy in the process instead of feeling bad that I’m not more talented. I’ve found the truth in President Uchtdorf’s assurance that “what you create doesn’t have to be perfect.” I learned to find happiness in being average because I realized that I don’t have to be the best at creating something to enjoy creating it.

Discover more insights about happiness and creativity by reading or watching Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s full address “Happiness, Your Heritage.”

Source: General Conference 

—Rachel Frei, Latter-day Saint Insights

FEATURE IMAGE BY BROOKE LARK

Find more insights 

Read or watch Claudine Bigelow’s BYU devotional speech, “Creativity,” to learn about how creativity helps people connect and solve problems. 

Read W. Mack Lawrence’s BYU devotional speech, “The Pursuit of Happiness,” to discover more ways to create happiness in your life. 

Watch a summary of Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s talk in the inspirational message “Create.”