A Psalm of LifeBy Henry Wadsworth LongfellowLife is full of challenges to its end,And when they come, say, "Welcome, friend."Tell me not, in sad wordsLife is but an empty dream!But the soul that sleeps is dead,And things are not what they seem.Life is real and life is seriousAnd death is not its goal:That we become dust,Was not spoken of the soul.No enjoyment, and no sorrow Is our destined end or wayIt is to act, so that each tomorrowfinds us farther than today.Art is long, and time is short,And our hearts, though firm and brave,Still, like drums, are beating,Through their march to the grave.In the world’s broad field of battleIn the time of life, be not like dumb, driven cattle!Be heroes in the fight!Trust no future, however pleasant!Let the dead past bury its dead!Act in the wonderful present!Always follow your heart.Lives of great men all remind us thatWe can make our lives splendid.By passing away, we leave behind usFootsteps on the sands of time.Footsteps, that, perhaps another,Sailing over life’s sea,A hopeless and shipwrecked brother,Seeing, shall find courage again.Let us then keep doing our best,With a heart for any fate;Still achieving, still pursuingLearn to labor and to wait.An Angle WroteMany people will walk in and out of your life, But only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.To handle yourself, use your head; To handle others, use your heart.Anger is only one letter short of danger.If someone betrays you once, it’s his fault;If he betrays you twice, it’s your fault.Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events;Small minds discuss people.God gives every bird its food,But he does not throw it into its nest.He who loses money, loses a lot;He who loses a friend, loses more;He who loses faith, loses everything.Beautiful young people are gifts of nature,But beautiful old people are works of art.Learn from the mistakes of others.You can’t live long enough to make them all by yourself.The tongue weighs practically nothing,But very few people can hold it.Before I Go...When my life has reached its very endAnd I take that final breath,I want to know I’ve left behindSome "good" before my death.I hope that in my final hour,In all honesty I can sayThat somewhere in my lifetime,I have brightened someone’s day.That maybe I have brought a smileTo someone else’s faceAnd made one moment a little sweeterWhile they lived here in this place.My friend, please be my reminderAnd whisper softly in my ear ...To be a "giver", not a "taker",In the years I have left here.Give me the strength I need,Open up my mind and my soulThat I might show sincere compassionAnd love to others before I go.If there was not a heart touched by meAnd not a smile was left behind ...Then the life that I am blessed withWill have been a waste of time.With all my heart, I truly hopeTo leave something here on earth ...That touched another, made them smileAnd gave my life some worth.Beginning TodayBeginning today I will no longer worry about yesterday.It is in the past and the past will never change.I can only change by choosing to do so.Beginning today I will no longer worry about tomorrow.Tomorrow will always be there, waiting for me to make the most of it. But I cannot make the most of tomorrow without first making the most of today.Beginning today I will value each moment of my life.I value this gift given to me in this world and I will generously share this gift with others.I will use this gift to improve the lives of others.Beginning today I will open my mind and my heart.I will welcome new experiences. I will meet new people.I will not expect perfection from myself nor anyone else. Perfection does not exist in an imperfect world.But I will clap for the attempt to overcome human disadvantages. Beginning today I am responsible for my own happiness and I will do things that make me happy ...Admire the beautiful wonders of nature, listen to my favorite music, pet a cat or a dog, soak in a bubblebath ...Pleasure can be found in the simplest things.Beginning today I will learn something new; I will try something different; I will taste all the various flavors that life has to offer.I will change what I can and the rest I will let go.I will try to become the best person I can possibly be.Beginning today. And every day.Change Begins with ChoiceAny day we wish, we can order ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish, we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish, we can start a new activity. Any day we wish, we can start the process of change.We can do it immediately, next week, next month or next year. If the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are.We created our circumstances through our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices from today.We cannot allow our errors in judgment to lead us down the wrong path. We must always think carefully about ourselves and our future and then we must make the very choices that will bring happiness and joy into our daily lives.If you don’t like how things are, change them! You have the ability to transform every area in your life —and it all begins with your very own power of choice.Choice over DestinyWhat matters is what you want, what you expect, and what you do. They are three links in a chain, and the weakest one dominates.What do you really want? That’s probably the hardest of the three. For example, do you want to be the CEO of a company? If you want to be a CEO, why? Is it because you enjoy the reality of what it means to be a CEO, or is it because you think it will buy you something else, like respect, money or power. Break it down into the essentials, and figure out what you really care about. You may find, with your mind, that some of the things you thought you wanted aren’t really the best way to get what you really want.Then learn to expect it. You have to know that you just might get what you want if you try, and that you’ll probably get what you want if you try hard enough. You don’t need certainty. You just need to see enough possibilities to try for many things.Finally, do whatever you need to do. Don’t wait for it. Waiting brings nothing compared to doing.That’s what really makes a jewel. It’s your choice, not your destiny.Deep Thoughts—By William Butler YeatsThere comes a time when you must stand alone.You must feel confident enough within yourself to follow your own dreams.You must be willing to make sacrifices.Sometimes, familiarity and comfort need to be challenged.There are times when you must take a few extra chances and create your own realities.Be strong enough to at least try to make your life better.Be confident enough that you won’t settle for a compromise just to get by.Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself opportunities to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this life.Don’t stand in someone else’s shadow when it’s your sunlight that should lead the way.Work hard at what you like to do and try to overcome all obstacles. Laugh at your mistakes and praise yourself for learning from them.Pick some flowers and appreciate the beauty of nature.Say hello to strangers and enjoy being with the people you know.Don’t be afraid to show your emotions. Laughing and crying will make you feel better.Love your friends and family with your en-tire being because they are the most important part of your life.Feel the calmness on a quiet sunny day.Remember that life is better than it seems.Do You Know Where You’re Going To? —By Jennifer LopezDo you know where you’re going to?Do you like the things that life is showing you? Where are you going to?Do you know?Do you get what you’re hoping for?When you look behind you there’s no open door? What are you hoping for?Do you know?Once we were standing still in timeChasing the fantasies that filled our mindsYou knew how I loved you, but my spirit was free Laughing at the questions that you once asked of me Do you know where you’re going to?Do you like the things that life is showing you? Where are you going to?Do you know?Now looking back at all we’ve hadWe let so many dreams just slip through our hands Why must we wait so long before we seeHow sad the answers to those questions can be? Don’t Look BackAs you travel through life there are al-ways timesWhen decisions just have to be made,When the choices are hard and the solutions seem scarceAnd the rain seems to ruin your parade!There are some situations where all you can doIs simply let go and move on,Gather courage together and choose a directionThat carries you toward a new dawn.So pack up your troubles and take a step forward.The process of change can be tough.But think about all the excitement ahead, If you can be strong enough!There could be adventures you never imagined,Just waiting around the next bend.And wishes and dreams just about to come true,In ways you cannot yet understand!Perhaps you will find friendships that spring from new interests,As you challenge your present living stateAnd learn there are so many choices in life,And so many ways you can grow!Perhaps you will go places that you never expectedAnd see things that you’ve never seen,Or travel to faraway worldsAnd wonderful spots in between!Perhaps you will find comfort in knowing that your friendsAre supportive of all that you doAnd believe that whatever decisions you make,They will be the right choices for you!So keep putting one foot in front of the otherAnd taking your life day by day.There’s a brighter tomorrow that’s just down the road.Don’t look back; you’re not going that way!From the Heart of a Happy Child—By Donna McDermottDear Mommy and Daddy,I write this letter to you in the hope that you will consider your parenting methods before I arrive. I am a happy child. I grow on love and respect, and order and consistency. When I arrive, I will seem very small to you. Even though I don’t look like an adult, please understand that I am a human being.Even though I will not speak words to you, I will know you with my heart. I will feel all of your feelings, and understand your thoughts. I will come to know you more than you may know yourselves. Do not be misled by my silence. I am open, growing and learning more rapidly than you can imagine.I will grow from everything that I see, so please give me beauty to rest my eyes upon. I will record all that I hear, so please give me sweet music and language that tells me how much I am loved. Give me silence to rest my ears. I will understand everything that I feel, so please wrap my life in love.I am waiting patiently to be with you. I am so happy to have the opportunity to be alive. Maybe when you see me you will remember how beautiful life is too! Your happy childGoals Only Work When You Do—By Rhoberta Shaler, Ph.D.People often make resolutions at the beginning of the New Year. They work hard at them for a few weeks, maybe even a few months, and then forget about them. The next year, they make the same New Year’s resolutions. Why?They may be making goals that are too unrealistic. That is not to say that they are not worthy goals. They need to be broken into smaller, more specific, and more attainable pieces. You probably know the joke. How do you eat an elephant? One spoonful at a time. It is the same with goals. Make spoon-size goals and ac hieve them easily. When you’ve mastered this, get a bigger spoon!You may have filled your timetable with so many things that there is little room for your goals to grow. Be careful about how you use your time and what you focus on. Success often comes when you know what to leave out, rather than what to include in your life. Notice, too, how much time you spend on small things. Have you ever just "had" to clean your office before you could begin your project? Then you know how this works!Goal setting is like the pig and the chicken who went out for a walk in the town. The chicken became excited when she saw a sign that said "Pork & Eggs, $ . ". She said to the pig, "We’ve got double billing again." The pig said, "For you, it’s all in a day’swork. For me, it’s total commitment."Goal setting is all in a day’s work. Goal achievement is total commitment.How Love Raises ChildrenWhen you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my drawing on the refrigerator, so I wanted to draw another one.When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me even though it wasn’t even my birthday, so I knew that little thi ngs are special things.When you thought I wasn’t looking, I felt you kiss me goodnight, so I felt loved.When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes, so I learned that sometimes things hurt, and it’s all right to cry.When you tho ught I wasn’t looking, I saw you become very angry but still stay calm and talk to me, so I learned to do that too.When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give my clothes that didn’t fit any more to the poor, so I learned to reach out to help others too.When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you read just for fun, so I learned to love books and learning.When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you look at the night sky, so I learned to see beauty in the world around me.When you th ought I wasn’t looking, I heard you sing as you worked, so I learned that work can bring great satisfaction.When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you fail and make mistakes, and I saw you keep doing your best, so I learned about perseverance. How to Grow HappinessSomeone said that happiness comes from the abilityto feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, and to be needed. I have no objection to that. I only wonder how to grow happiness. Luckily, I came across the answer somewhere, and I feel like sharing it with you.Step OnePlant yourself deep in a bed of faith, and pack it down solid and tight. Water it daily with positive thinking, and keep it wet just right. Quickly remove any seeds of worry, for they will soon grow, and keep out the weeds of despair. Nourish disappointments with hope whenever it is needed, and always stay cool when you feel angry. Cut away guilt or depression, for they create decay, and cultivate it with happy memories every day.Step TwoHarvest the lessons of the past and nurture the rootsof the present, for now is when you grow. Start plantingfor the future. Set your goals in a row. Spade the bed well for all your dreams to grow.Step ThreeRemember that grief is a natural killer, so learn to bear some damage. Bury the criticism and complaining, for they are harmful pests. Sow the seed of love wherever you may go —for joy, love and laughter will grow. Although the thorns of life may be here to stay, just smile and be thankful for what you have.How to SucceedIt is not very difficult to succeed if some basic rules are laid down. While discussing this subject, I’d like to mention four necessary rules: diligence, devotion, constancy, and punctuality.All things can be defeated by diligence. It makes the foolish wise and the poor rich. It produces a wonderful effect. The work of a diligent fool is double that of a lazy wit.Devotion means to set our heart on one thing at a time and not to focus on anything else. Never think about another subject while studying one subject. Those who often change their studies will never succeed. Therefore, in order to be successful, we need to be devoted.Constancy makes success a certainty . On the opposite, a lack of constancy often results in failure. If we study day after day, there is nothing that cannot be achieved. We should remember a worthy saying: "The constant dripping of water can wear away a stone."Furthermore, there is another rule that contributes to one’s achievements. That is punctua lity. The habit of keeping regular hours is of extreme importance to success. Work while you work. Play while you play. Every man will certainly become strong and wise if he does so.I Am MeIn the world, there is no other person who is exactly like me, although there are people who have some parts that are like mine. In other words, everything that comes out of me is really mine because I alone choose it.I own everything about me. I own my body, my mind, my eyes, my feelings, my voice, all my actions, my mouth and all the words that come out of it. I own my dreams, my hopes, and my fears. I own all my successes, and all my failures and mistakes.Because I own all of me, I can get to know myself well. By doing so, I can love me and be nice to me and all my parts. I can then make it possible for all of me to work for my best interests.I know there are things about myself that confuse me and other things that I do not know, but as long as I am friendly and loving to myself, I can look for the keys to the puzzles and for ways to find out more about myself with courage and hope.When I look back later at how I looked and sounded, what I said and did, and how I thought and felt, I will remove that which doesn’t fit and keep that which does and invent something new for that which I re-moved. I own me and I can engineer me. I am me and I am okay.I Have a FriendI have a friendWho is perfect for meShe listens to all my problemsNo matter how simple they may beShe likes herself for who she isAnd never tries to changeShe tells me to be myselfAnd that I should never changeShe was shy on the phoneBut she would still callAnd we would talk for hoursAbout nothing at allWe would talk about love and lifeAnd discuss what we wanted to beShe knew just how I feltAnd how happy I could beShe listens to me patientlyBut never judges what I do or sayShe helped with all my problemsAnd never went awayI never once felt judged by herHow much that meant to meThat I could tell her all my dreamsAnd she would listen to meMy friend never goes and tellsWhat is dear to meShe keeps it all to herselfAnd doesn’t spread it like a beeI am thankful for that friend of mineOur friendship will never endAnd she will always be thereFor she is my best friendIf I Had My Life to Live OverIf I had my life to live over, I’d try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax; I would let go; I would be crazier than I’ve been this time around. I know I would try not to take so many things so serious the second time. I’d certainly be less afraid. I would take more chances; I would take more trips. I would scale more mountains; I would swim more rivers and I would watch more sunsets. I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans. I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones.You see, I was one of those people who lived their whole life afraid. I tried to be sensible and "normal", hour after hour, day after day. In fact, I’d try not to have anything else, just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of my day. I’ve been one of those people who never went anywhere without a thermometer, a hot-water bottle, a gargle, a raincoat and a parachute.If I had it to do all over again, I’d travel lighter, much lighter than I have. I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and I would stay that way later in the fall. And I would ride more merry-go-rounds and catch more gold rings and greet more people and pick more flowers and dance more often. If I had it to do all over again ...But, you see, I don’t. I am stuck in this life and I am unable to change.Ignorance Makes One Happy—By Robert LyndThe average person who uses a telephone cannot explain how a telephone works. People take the telephone, the railway, and airplanes for granted. They neither question nor understand them. It is as though each of us has done our own research and made our own facts. Knowledge outside the day’s work is regarded by most people as useless. However, we are always trying to fight our ignorance.We find ways to make ourselves think hard during breaks, and we feel great pleasure from thinking about anything —about life after death or about questions that were said to have puzzled Aristotle, such as, "Why was sneezing from noon to midnight good, but sneezing from night to noon unlucky?" One of the greatest joys known to man is to fight against ignorance and search for knowledge. The great pleasure of ignorance is, after all, the pleasure of asking questions.The man who has lost this pleasure is already beginning to stiffen. We even become satisfied with our knowledge and regard growing older as a way of knowing everything. We forget that Socrates was famous for wisdom not because he knew everything but because he realized that at the age of seventy he still knew nothing.It Couldn’t Be Done—By Edgar GuestSomebody said that it couldn’t be done,But, with a chuckle he repliedThat may be true. But he would be oneWho would say that till he’d tried.So he went right in with a grin on his face.If he worried he hid it.He started to sing as he did the thingThat couldn’t be done.Somebody scoffed, "Oh, you’ll never do that.No one we know has done it."But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,And the first thing we knew was that he’d begun it. With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,Without any doubting or complaining,He sang as he started to do the thingThat couldn’t be done, and he did it.There are thousands to tell you that it can-not be done. There are thousands to predict failure.There are thousands to point out to you, one by one The dangers that wait to attack you.But just go right in with a bit of a grin.Just take off your coat and get to it.Just start to sing as you do the thingThat cannot be done, and you’ll do it.。
