Date: 6/29/2008
Author: Devin Pickard
Title:
Life is about choices, perceptions and attitudes. In the end, the only person we have to thank or blame for the direction and tone of our lives is the person we see in the mirror each day. I don't know about you, but the older I get, the more I come to the realization that I have a great deal of control in my life with regards to my own emotions, reactions and temperament. No one makes me mad....I allow myself to get angry. No one makes me happy....happiness is my own conscious choice. My contentment in life should be based solely on my relationship with God and His plan for me....not my relationship with others who may have more things in life than what I have. Og Mandino, author of the bestselling book, “The Greatest Salesman In The World”, has long been revered as a great motivational speaker and writer. In his book, “A Better Way To Live”, Mr. Mandino outlines what he calls his “Seventeen Rules To Live By”. He states that “each of the rules you learn will help you to get rid of a bad habit by replacing it with a good one.....which is the key to a better life”. I thought it would do us all well to focus on these for just a few moments.
RULE 1...Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out and the music will play again.
RULE 2...Today, and every day, deliver more than you are getting paid to do. The victory of success will be half won when you learn the secret of putting out more than is expected in all that you do.
RULE 3...Whenever you make a mistake or get knocked down by life, don't look back at it too long. Mistakes are life's way of teaching you. No one wins them all...and your failures are a part of growth.
RULE 4...Always reward your long hours of labor and toil in the very best way, surrounded by your family. Nurture their love carefully, remembering that your children need models, not critics.
RULE 5...Build this day on a foundation of pleasant thoughts. Never fret at any imperfections that you fear may impede your progress. Never consider defeat again.
RULE 6...Let your actions always speak for you, but be forever on guard against the terrible traps of false pride and conceit that can halt your progress.
RULE 7...Each day is a special gift from God, and while life may not always be fair, you must never allow the pains, hurdles, and handicaps of the moment to poison your attitude and plans for yourself.
RULE 8...Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along. Leave time and space to grow.
RULE 9...Live this day as if it will be your last. Remember that you will only find “tomorrow” on the calendars of fools. Forget yesterday's defeats and ignore the problems of tomorrow.
RULE 10...Beginning today, treat everyone you meet, friend or foe, loved one or stranger, as if they were going to be dead at midnight.
RULE 11...Laugh at yourself and at life. Not in the spirit of derision or whining self-pity, but as a remedy, a miracle drug, that will ease your pain, cure your depression, and help your perspective.
RULE 12...Never neglect the little things. Never skimp on that extra effort, that additional few minutes, that soft word of praise or thanks, that delivery of the very best that you can do.
RULE 13...Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday.
RULE 14...You will achieve you r grand dream, a day at a time, so set goals for each day-not long and difficult projects, but chores that will take you, step by step, toward your rainbow.
RULE 15...Never allow anyone to rain on your parade and thus cast a pall of gloom and defeat on the entire day. Remember that no talent, self-denial or brains are required to set up a fault-finding business.
RULE 16...Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well in all the dark valleys you must traverse.
RULE 17...Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember, there is no happiness in getting...but only in giving.
Well, there they are. I think that you will notice that many of the above thoughts are spiritual in nature. Many of these “life lessons” are Biblical in concept and “other person centered”. I firmly believe God wants His people to be optimistic in nature and understand that we truly can make a positive difference in the lives of those around us....but we have to choose to do so. By the way, is that glass of sweet tea you are drinking right now half-full or half-empty?
Go the extra mile - Devin