Personal choices impact our lives for good or ill. We cannot always choose our circumstances but we can choose how we shall react. Fortunately there are many absolutely wonderful choices we can make that can enrich our lives. I want to share a dozen of them with you.
One, decide to like yourself. Enjoy being the person you are. Don’t kick yourself. Think of yourself as a wonderful person. When you have a bad hour or day, get over it in a hurry. If other people don’t like you, forget it; that attitude is their problem.
Two, expect other people to like you. Since most of us want other people to like us, put Zig Zigler’s "likeability factor" to work for you. Zig says if you want people to like you remember that people like a smile, like optimism, like people who listen, and like kindness. I will add this: people like people who like themselves.
Three, embrace enthusiasm. Refuse to let your chin drag the ground. Wipe that frown off your face and put a smile on it even when you are hurting. If you will, you can live every day with enthusiasm. Do it. Stop drooping and start dancing .
Four, expect your future to be good. Live with positive expectation. If Old Man Dull comes by to dump a load of boredom on you, tell him to get lost. Look for Mr. Cheerful and give him a warm embrace. Take charge of your attitude. Expect the best.
Five, keep on learning and growing until you gasp your last breath. There is so much to learn and do. So don’t quit on life until it quits on you. Young dogs and old dogs can learn new tricks.
Six, refuse to let disappointment grind you down. You will have disappointments so accept them. But don’t allow them to lead you into despair. Look despair in the face and say, "Whoa! I am not going to let you spend one night with me; you are not welcome in my life!" Disappointments are permanent only if you allow them to be.
Seven, hold things loosely in your hand and treasure your relationships. Learn to be content with what you have. What matters most are your relationships. If you have any thing you love more than your family and friends, give it away. Things cannot hold your hand when you are hurting.
Eight, stop thinking that you can solve any of your problems by worrying. Recognize worry as a thief; it will rob you of joy, peace, health, and contentment. Worry changes nothing for the good. Get a fruit jar, put your worries in it, and refuse to think about them until next Thursday afternoon at 2:00 o’clock. Think like the woman who said, "When I walks, I walks slow; when I sits, I sits loose; and when I feel worry coming on, I just goes to sleep." Right.
Nine, believe that a sense of humor contributes to healthy living. Life without humor is dull, deadening, and boring. If you wake up one morning and can’t think of anything funny to laugh about, go look in the mirror. What you see there before you "fix your face" is bound to make you grin. And don’t ever waste a grin without adding a little laughter to it.
Ten, be understanding of the mistakes of others. You make mistakes. Other people make mistakes. We all have the gift of saying something stupid and insensitive every now and then. So give others the break you expect them to give you and move on.
Eleven, never underestimate the value of optimism. Nobody ever wakes up and says, "Boy, I hope I run into a pessimist today!" No, pessimism tends to ruin our day. But optimism is as welcome as warm sunshine on a beautiful spring morning. So, brace yourself and be optimistic. It won’t kill you, and it could help you to have a good day.
Twelve, listen to the people who cheer you on, not the people who try to drag you down. Both kinds of people are in everyone’s life. But we can choose which ones we will pay attention to. Be thankful for your cheerleaders and try to be one for a few other people, especially your family members.
Believe me, some of the choices we make can make an absolutely wonderful difference in our lives!