---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Marden, O. S.
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 7
number: 3
published: 1904-01
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'O. S. Marden, "Mastering Moods," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 3 (January 1904): 213.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0703unse
  transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers.
  identifier: improvementera0703unse
start_page: 213
end_page: 213
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-01)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0703unse
  publication_year: 1904
  note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1904, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# Mastering Moods

<!-- page:213 -->

MASTERING 
        MOODS. 
        213
from 
        his 
        storehouse 
        bring 
        forth 
        things 
        new 
        and 
        old, 
        and 
        with 
        them
feed 
        the 
        flock 
        of 
        God, 
        of 
        whom 
        he 
        has 
        made 
        us 
        ministers.
And 
        so 
        ended 
        that 
        complaint. 
        Young 
        men, 
        if 
        you 
        are 
        ho^ne
missionaries, 
        have 
        something 
        to 
        say; 
        say 
        it 
        by 
        the 
        power 
        of 
        the
Spirit, 
        and 
        sit 
        down. 
        If 
        you 
        have 
        nothing 
        to 
        say, 
        get 
        something,
and 
        don't 
        bore 
        people 
        by 
        your 
        indifference.
MASTERING 
        MOODS.
"If 
        you 
        are 
        morose, 
        moody, 
        or 
        despondent; 
        if 
        you 
        have 
        a
habit 
        of 
        worrying 
        or 
        fretting 
        about 
        things, 
        or 
        any 
        other 
        fault
which 
        hinders 
        your 
        growth 
        or 
        progress, 
        think 
        persistently 
        of 
        the
opposite 
        virtue, 
        and 
        practice 
        it 
        until 
        it 
        is 
        yours 
        by 
        force 
        of 
        habit.
"When 
        you 
        feel 
        unhappy 
        and 
        out 
        of 
        sorts 
        with 
        all 
        the 
        world,
nothing 
        is 
        more 
        certain 
        than 
        that 
        nursing 
        such 
        feelings 
        aggravates
them. 
        Hold 
        just 
        the 
        opposite 
        thought 
        from 
        that 
        which 
        depresses
you, 
        and 
        you 
        will 
        naturally 
        reverse 
        the 
        mood. 
        The 
        imagination 
        has
great 
        power 
        to 
        change 
        an 
        unpleasant 
        thought 
        or 
        experience.
When 
        you 
        are 
        the 
        victim 
        of 
        vicious 
        moods, 
        just 
        say 
        to 
        yourself,
"This 
        is 
        unreal; 
        it 
        has 
        nothing 
        to 
        do 
        with 
        my 
        higher 
        and 
        better
self, 
        for 
        the 
        Creator 
        never 
        intended 
        me 
        to 
        be 
        dominated 
        by 
        such
dark 
        pictures." 
        Persistently 
        recall 
        the 
        most 
        delightful 
        experi-
ences, the 
        happiest 
        days 
        of 
        your 
        life. 
        Look 
        on 
        some 
        beautiful 
        ob-
ject in 
        art 
        or 
        in 
        nature, 
        or 
        read 
        a 
        passage 
        in 
        some 
        helpful, 
        uplift-
ing book. 
        Hold 
        persistently 
        in 
        'the 
        mind 
        such 
        things 
        as 
        you 
        have
enjoyed; 
        drive 
        out 
        the 
        failure 
        thoughts 
        by 
        thinking 
        of 
        the 
        success-
ful things 
        you 
        have 
        accomplished. 
        Call 
        hope 
        to 
        your 
        aid, 
        and 
        pic-
ture a 
        bright, 
        successful 
        future. 
        Surround 
        yourself 
        with 
        happy
thoughts 
        for 
        a 
        few 
        minutes, 
        and 
        you 
        will 
        be 
        surprised 
        to 
        see 
        how
all 
        the 
        ghosts 
        of 
        blackness 
        and 
        gloom—
        all 
        thoughts 
        which 
        have
worried 
        and 
        haunted 
        you
        —
        have 
        gone 
        out 
        of 
        sight. 
        They 
        cannot
bear 
        the 
        light. 
        Light, 
        joy, 
        gladness 
        and 
        harmony 
        are 
        your 
        best
protectors; 
        discord, 
        darkness 
        and 
        sickness 
        can 
        not 
        exist 
        where
they 
        are."
        —
        0. 
        S. 
        Marden, 
        in 
        Success.