I am posting this blind, without reading it. It comes from my surgeon's secretary, who is very spiritually oriented.
Promise Yourself
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think of only the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature you meet.
To give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.
Misfortune lies in our perception of things, not in the things themselves. Never complain, no matter what you have to endure. Whining merely tests other people’s patience. But courage in the face of adversity wins universal admiration.
UPDATE: Ok, I finally read it. I used to be much better at these things, but maybe I had never really been tested. I agree with all of these things in principle, but principles are nothing without practice. (That reminds me, I need to eat much better than I have been. The time to eat anything I want just to gain calories is over.)
