The Sunny Side

Yesterday I was the guest speaker at the Greensboro Optimist Club. I gave a speech based on my Follow the Glow post I wrote for Rick Smith, Author of The Leap. The members were wonderful and I enjoyed my interactions with them. When it came time to close the meeting, we all stood and recited the Optimist Creed, which was displayed on a felt scroll nearby for guests like me. I believe all spoke the words from their hearts, but I had to read them while everyone else recited them from memory.

In a world that many people claim is going down the drain—which I don’t buy because bad news gets most of the attention in our modern times—it’s refreshing to know people walk this earth carrying this creed within their hearts:

The Optimist Creed

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.

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How many of these words and actions can you incorporate into your life today?