When I was 15 years old, I was fortunate to win two major awards for service and citizenship. One was the Youth Appreciation Week Award for my city and the other was a major service award for my school. Both awards came as a surprise and I received many accolades as a result of this good fortune. My most prized possession was a plaque that listed the ten tenets of The Optimist Creed as promoted by the Optimist International organization (similar to Rotary, but its efforts are directed at youth and youth issues).
This creed (see below) is, as to be expected, all about following an optimistic path in life. In some ways, it is the original SECRET. Living a happy and stress-free life is a choice. You can choose to let life push you around and you can choose to see everything through a negative filter and you will reap what you sew. You can also choose to follow The Optimist Creed or to respect the Laws of Attraction and you will be the engineer of your life instead of having to accept what life hands you. Being an eternal optimist doesn't mean you have to stop being pragmatic or realistic but it does give you the power to start each day with fresh hope and inspiration. Any person who starts his or her day in this manner will live with far less stress than someone who does not. My plaque still hangs on my wall in my workspace where I refer to it often to remind myself to be optimistic about life. Since my youth, two more items have been added to the list.
The twelve tenets are as follows:
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 in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your 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 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 countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of 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.
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