As I was getting dressed this morning, I looked over some owner's manuals of various possessions. You know, the usual--Swiss Army knife, Norelco shaver, digital watch, etc. I came across a card with the Optimist Creed on it. I have discovered I have been an optimist most of my life.
About ten years ago I took the plunge and helped form an Optimist club in our community. I also decided to become a life member of Optimist International. It seemed to be a great way to serve in the community and spend time with some really great folks. At every weekly meeting we would recite the Creed. I had done it so many times that I had memorized it. I have not spoken the Creed in about five years.
Unfortunately the club disbanded about then. However, I was surprised to realize that I had only forgotten a few of the words. It is pretty powerful. I have placed it here for your perusal and thought. Should you choose, you might look at each part and see where it might fit into your life.
The Optimist Creed
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to ever 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.
What better way to...
Serve well! Live fully! Do good work!
6 comments:
That was just so "Jack". I bet you do it all, all the time. I am exhausted just reading it.
Regards
dropped in to check out your blog. i find the optimist's creed interesting - something to aspire to. Though I think of myself as a positive person (most of the time...), I am not an optimist overall. Plan for the worst - then you won't be surprised is one of my mottos - though sometimes I wonder if planning for the worst encourages, in some cosmic sense, the worst to happen. Hmmmm....something to think about.
Alison :-) Once you start to think this way it gets easier.
Bird :-) What you send out is what you get back. However, I agree with you latest posting about the online news sources. You can choose to read them or not. It is all about choice, including your view of the world.
Serve well! Live fully! Do good work!
Just so you won't think me a total pessimist i do agree with "To be enthusiastic about the success of others etc"...
So I am guessing you don't think it is too late for me Jack...Chinese water torture is quite affective you know but has nothing on my last 33 years!!!
Sometimes you are just too good to be true;-)
Hey Jack K,
I like the optimists creed, although I don't think I live by it. I'm too much of a control freak. I like to work out all possibilities and how I will deal with them. Then having worked out I have a plan for the worst possible situation & the best (& everything in between) I then work to make the best happen. I don't like surprises :-)
I don't like the one about forgetting mistakes tho' - that sounds like a recipe for repeating them. Learning from them to ensure they don't happen again sounds like a better plan.
Other than that - looks like I have some work to do to aspire to the rest.
bluebolt, thanks for the comment. I absolutely agree with your comments about the forgetting the mistakes of the past. I would have written "To learn from the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future".
Your approach is spot for an Optimist or optimist. You might want to think about the control freak thing. As a practicing one, I know it is in the best interest of all of you in my life to give up the control. It isn't easy. It may just be one of my life lessons. I am told if you can accompllish it you tend to gain more control in a more positive way. You might want to give it some thought.
Serve well! Live fully! Do good works!
PS: Another benefit of your comment, I discovered that in the passage with which we bot take issue I had to change great acheivements to greater achievements.
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