President David O. McKay said, “Always be yourself, your best self, in no matter whose company you may find yourself.” Hank Smith adds that “believing your best self isn't always popular. It might mean you have to drop some friends.” Using examples from the scriptures, enlightening stories, and hilarious experiences from his own life, Brother Smith illustrates the importance of being true to who you really are and what you believe. “Before you can even begin to make a difference in the lives of other people, you have to know who you are,” says Brother Smith. “People will respect you more if they see you are the same person in church as you are at school or at home. You are the same person—the best person you can possibly be. You'll have more friends that way because you are trustworthy.” Brother Smith teaches what it means to be a believer; it isn't enough just to say we believe—we have to act. “Believing in Christ is good, but it really doesn't do anything for you until you act on your belief. That's when you can truly make a difference in the lives of your family and your friends.”

In his newest talk, Hank shares what he's learned from studying happiness. He expounds on what science has to say on the subject, what teenagers think happiness is, and what prophets and other Church leaders have taught. He then highlights four key principles of happiness from the Book of Mormon that can help us be happy too: (1) accentuate the positive, (2) learn to work, (3) keep the commandments, and (4) drop the contention. Of course, Hank uses laughter to teach about happiness. He says, "I think when people laugh, they learn more." His message will keep you smiling and positive with his inspiring stories, personal examples, and testimony that teach you that even in a world filled with frowns, you can be happy too.

Popular speaker and teacher Hank Smith confesses that when he was growing up he had a really hard time fasting. He kept hoping that somehowthere had been a typo somewhere and that instead of fast and testimony meeting, it was really supposed to be feast and testimony meeting! Whenever he fasted, he found himself being irritated and grouchy and just downright miserable. Through the years, Hank gained a testimony of fasting and its purpose. But his earlier experiences helped him realize the effects of being spiritually hungry. "Just as our bodies hunger for food when we are fasting, our soulshunger for daily nourishment," says Brother Smith. "If you're not praying, studying the scriptures, and going to the temple, it's like letting the battery on your cell phone run down. You get grouchy and depressed and start questioning your testimony. Your spiritual batteries need recharging, too." He quotes Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, who says that if we don't seek the crucial bread of eternal life, we may be choosing to be "spiritually malnourished, willfully indulging in a kind of spiritual anorexia." With his trademark humor, inspiring stories, and enlightening quotes, Hank Smith once again shares a message that youth will relate to and remember.