success

The making of friends, who are real friends, is the best token we have of success in life.
– Edward Everett Hale

what do think it takes to be successful? having money is important. i think that enjoying your career is essential. enjoying the people in your life is the most important. surrounding yourself with people who make you feel happy and positive can make you a success no matter your bank account or your job. maybe you have only one good friend. if you support each other and spend quality time together, you have success.

i urge you to count the quality of your relationships rather than the quantity of your possessions and money when you count your worth. when you are old and gray, it will be the people in your life that you'll remember. they will color your life.

even facebook friends will have an influence whether they are acquaintances or dear friends. if you read your 'wall' on a regular basis, you will receive positive or negative messages. choose carefully who you allow into your life. even acquaintances have a part in coloring your life.

whatever goals i may accomplish in my life, the one i'll be most proud of is being a good friend. even at 40 years old, i consider myself a success because of the friendships i have cultivated. wishing you a life rich in happy friendships!

i wonder what would happen

i love harry chapin songs and ideals. this song in particular:

"I Wonder What Would Happen to this World"

Oh if a man tried
To take his time on Earth
And prove before he died
What one man's life could be worth
I wonder what would happen
to this world

--Harry Chapin

i've been thinking about the difference one person can make. if you do something positive and i do and the next person and so on, the world gets better bit by bit. what if i spend my life doing good things? i encourage others to do the same. then they encourage others. i believe we can outdo all the negative deeds that are reported on tv. of course, we'll have to infiltrate the media to highlight the good deeds.

what can you do to change the world? i'm always looking for new ways. this blog is one.

freedom of the mind

I know but one freedom, and that is the freedom of the mind.
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

america prides itself on being free. we are more free than many countries. i'm grateful to live here.

some of us are restricted by lack of income or poor health. that's why i like this quote. i might be unemployed. i might have a disability. what i do have at any given moment are my thoughts and imagination. even people suffering from dementia, i hope, can have happy thoughts. the freedom of the mind allows us to create our world. i may not find a job, but i can enjoy my extra free time. if i have a disease it is up to me how i react to it. 'oh, woe is me' is unappealing. gratitude for small things can shape your life. it's your free mind that gets to decide how you see the world and yourself.

you are wonderful and special. use your free mind to feel positive and find the silver lining in all situations. it takes practice. give it a try!

happy new year!

we celebrate new beginnings now, but really every morning is a chance for a new start. even any time of day we could see something we'd like to change. there's no reason to wait for the next day or the next year to make a change for the better. every moment is a chance to make a positive choice.

the positive choice i made before i started this post was to let someone i love know how much they mean to me. then, i decided to share my positive feelings here. i'm not sure what i'll do next, but it's up to me to make each moment as good as it can be.

so, i say, 'happy new moment!'