Every day is an opportunity to invest in life; an opportunity to renew yourself, to shed yesterday’s skin, to discharge yourself to get rid of yesterday’s pain. Take joy in life each day as it gives you the opportunity to work, love and play, and look at the sun. And then when the sun goes down, don’t cry, tears will make you miss the beauty of the stars. Life moves on, and if you don’t stop and look at the wonders that are already present in your life, you will miss out on life altogether.

Think big thoughts but enjoy the small joys that life offers you every day. Maybe it’s as simple as smiling at someone. Because that could be the last day of life, for you or for the other person.

A small genuine act on your part will cost you nothing, but it could mean everything to someone that day. Life is a succession of moments. Live every moment. Life has no romance without risk. All actions carry a certain amount of risk, it can be less or more, but the element of risk is always present.

If there is no wind, row. Make things happen instead of letting things happen. You can’t give anything without giving yourself, without taking risks. The most important thing in life is not what you receive but what you give.

Once a preacher visited the home of a very poor family. When he left, he found a son admiring his new car, so the preacher explained that he had received it as a gift from his brother. Most guys would say, “I wish I had a brother like that,” but this one said, “Lord, I wish I could be a brother like that.”

If you are not enjoying this trip, surely you will not enjoy the destination. It will become a time to fear, not a time you can really look forward to. It is not what happens that determines our future, but what you do with what happens that counts.

Conquer the mind and you will conquer the world. Looking back tenses the neck muscles. Likewise, living in the past strains your life. Don’t dwell on the past. Have faith in yourself and you will have faith in others. Fulfill your destiny. Remember, no one can make you unhappy without your consent.

The way you face life is what makes the difference. Even peace of mind is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to deal with it. You have to get close to other people. That will teach you to forgive people and also to forgive yourself. Forgiveness means leaving the past behind. Compassion is about coming out of yourself. A kind and compassionate act is often its own reward. Live your life without complaining, like the tree.

Q:

A small genuine act (para 5) could mean

• 1
  an act of kindness and love
• 2
  a heroic act
• 3
  a good piece of acting
• 4
  a short scene in a play