"The Optimist Creed"

Thank you all for the success of the "12 Days of Optimism"!  The blog saw more views over those twelve days than it has since it started.  Here is the full Optimist Creed, written by Christian D. Larson in the early 1900s.  Even over 100 years ago the power of positive thinking was well known and relevant.  Read it, print it out, and live it in your daily life.

The Optimist Creed

I promise myself...

To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet.

To male all of my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.

To think only of 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 I am about my own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear cheerful expressions at all times and give a smile to every living creature I meet.

 To give so much time to improving myself that I 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 myself 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 my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

- Christian D. Larson

12 Days of Optimism, Day 12: The Best ME

"I promise myself...to live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me"

Today is the last day of the "12 Days of Optimism".  It is fitting that it ends with this affirmation.  You need to live with the belief that everything happens for a reason and life really is on your side.  Because you are the one that determines your life.  As long as you go around each day practicing the power of positive thinking, realizing your value, and being kind to others the world will reflect that back to you.  

No one is out to get you.  Things happen to you because you focus on them and let them happen.  React positively to every event in your life and find the reason and meaning in it.  You are the best "me" that you can be at all times, as long as you are aware of it.  Awareness of your own personal greatness will help you live a full and happy life. Proclaim to the world that "I am the best ME!"

12 Days of Optimism, Day 11: Good Deeds

 

"I promise myself...to think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds."

One of the greatest things you can do to make yourself feel happy and show the world how good you feel about yourself is to help others.  This can be as simple as holding the door open for someone, letting someone pass on the highway, or cleaning the kitchen up for your spouse after they are done cooking a meal for you both.  It can also mean going to volunteer at your favorite charity or local organization.  It is doing something that takes time to help the needs of another.

 

Doing great deeds shows those around you that you are a giving person who values the world we all live in and the happiness of others as much as your own.  I challenge you to find a local group or organization that you can volunteer to help with for as little as once a month.  Go donate stuff to the Goodwill which you no longer use.  Recycle, or start a recycling program in your apartment complex.  Help serve food at a soup kitchen.  Take tickets and admission at a local fair or event.  Help set up a community event.  The opportunities are endless.  But I can guarantee not only will you shine as someone who is happy with their life, you will make someone else happy which is one of the greatest rewards on earth, greater than any material thing.

 

"Fashion your life as a garland of beautiful deeds." - Buddha

12 Days of Optimism, Day 10: To be too...

"I promise myself...to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble."

The point of today's affirmation is that you act in a way that is above the negative things around you.  Realize that you are better than things like worry, anger, and far.  Instead, radiate so much happiness and positive thinking that you have no time for the others.

Value yourself and how much you can actually do and control in your life.  Giving in to negative things will just take you one giant step back further from a happier life.  Hold yourself higher than the things that try to bring you down.

12 Days of Optimism, Day 9: Time

"I promise myself...to give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others."

Sadly many of us spend way too much time judging, criticizing, and comparing others to ourselves.  Doing that has two negative impacts on our daily life.  First of all by comparing yourself to someone else you are essentially telling yourself that you are not worthy or good enough because you need to find your value by judging someone else. Second, by nature judging and criticizing are negative thoughts about another person.  When you are constantly thinking negatively you are putting the vibrations of all your thoughts on a negative wavelength.  Therefore you are attracting more negative to your own life.  It will become a vicious cycle.

You cannot change the way someone acts, speaks, or thinks.  No matter how hard you try you simply cannot.  The only person you can work on changing is yourself.  So instead of wasting your time trying to improve someone else to what you think they should be, how about working on the most important thing in your life...YOU!

12 Days of Optimism, Day 8: Smile

"I promise myself...to wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature I meet."

The message for today is simple...SMILE!  Walk around and smile at everyone you come in contact with.  Smiles are contagious and make you feel good.  They are such a simple thing yet help communicate to the world and yourself that you are happy!

You choose your life and  how you feel, so why not choose happiness?!

12 Days of Optimism, Day 7: Forget the Past

 

"I promise myself...to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future."

We are always taught to remember the past and learn from our mistakes.  While that is true to learn from past experiences and do better the next time, it is also causing people to focus too much on the past.  People live with worry, regret, and a desire to change what has been done.  The reality is that you cannot change what has happened.  Sometimes the past hurts, but it's done and gone now.  Working to try and change the path is a battle you will lose no matter how hard you try.  It will just cause you to live a life of sadness and anger.  

"Trying to change the past is a battle which only leads to more pain, despair and unhappiness.  It simply cannot be won and leads you away from true personal happiness." - RL 

In my past post about how you should Finish Your Day, I talk about the importance of accepting what has happened and looking at tomorrow as a new day full of adventure and life.  Living in the past causes you to miss out on what is happening to you now.  So end your day, forgive yourself and those who caused you pain, learn from the mistake, and accept it.  Then go on to tomorrow and live YOUR life!