No matter what you intend for the rest of 2020, it’s smart to include a plan for keeping yourself happy. Sound silly? It’s not; it’s good mental hygiene that promotes health and is vital to creating success in any life arena. Perhaps that’s why my dad joined the Optimist Club long ago and always had a framed copy of “The Optimist Creed” on his office wall. As a child, I read it over and over as I tried to sit quietly while he finished working. I remember him being honored as a longstanding member of the club and feeling so proud that he personified its credo. Only as an adult, did I learn that he’d joined to rid himself of a negative attitude. It certainly worked. He epitomized optimism! And whether I’m preparing for “re-entry” following a global crisis, or simply a new stage of life, I’m going to use this creed too. Some of the words are old-fashioned, but the elements are timeless. Imagine our world if we all followed this creed!
Would you care to join me?
(The following words are from www.optimist.org, the home of Optimist Clubs.)
THE OPTIMIST CREED
Promise yourself to:
- Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
- Talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
- Make all your friends feel that there is something special in them.
- Look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
- Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best.
- Be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
- Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
- Wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
- Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
- Be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
Yes, I’m an optimist and I invite you to be one too. Let’s have a positive re-entry into our collective “new normal”!
QUOTE TO REMEMBER
“The thing always happens that you really believe in. And the belief in a thing makes it happen.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
NOTE FROM LINDA
June meant the start of summer fun when I was a kid. It also meant Father’s Day, so I’m sharing this photo of my dad. I hope his bright spirit reminds you, as it does me, that attitude is everything. An optimistic attitude will help you adjust to life altered by COVID-19. Don’t spend another week just coping. Keep that up and you’ll soon forget what day it is.
It’s time to re-fresh your spirit and create new routines for a changed world. Studies have proven that optimism promotes health, and also heightens your awareness of others. And that, my friends, is what our culture needs.
