Do It Now

Nothing changes. Nothing matters.  "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" Well, you know the saying.  These thoughts are the enemy of enjoying life.  More important, they are not true.  The most vital belief you need in order to live your life fully is that actions matter.  Actions are called for.  Actions are rewarded.  Take action now.  There's no reason you shouldn't, and many reasons you should.

Never Stop Learning

There is really only one way things ever improve.  Progress comes from learning.  The learning may come from a teacher, from a book, or from experience and personal curiosity.  But no matter what its origin, learning is the essence not only of a society's progress, but of personal progress.  The decision and commitment to continue learning are the decision and commitment to continue truly living and to live not just as you always have but as you truly can.

Don't Let Irritation Be Louder Than Joy

Which is more important, good or bad?  Regardless of which you consider to be the right answer, bad is often a bigger part of our thoughts.  The traffic jam that bogs down our day stays in our thoughts longer than the open road that sped us on our way.  The rude clerk is memorable long after the nice clerk is forgotten.  Remind yourself to see the good, to think about the good, to remember the good.  the good is out there just as much as the bad, but we are often prone to miss it.

Volunteer for Yourself

Volunteering for a cause you care about is not only a great benefit to others but also a great benefit to yourself.  Volunteering demonstrates or own humanity to us, and it offers us a wonderful opportunity for cultivating feelings of connection to our community.  Give of yourself to others because it is the greatest gift you can give to yourself.

Respond to Stress

Stress is an accumulation of events and circumstances that represent more than we can handle.  Stress eats away at our body's ability to function both mentally and physically.  The best response to stress is not to push yourself and wait for it to go away, but rather to try to reduce stress, both by avoiding the circumstances that are causing it and by creating healthier outlets for the pressures in your life.

Embrace Challenges

There are many things we wish to do from changing a tire to changing our lives that we avoid because we are afraid of failure.  We fear the direct evidence of our weakness, so we don't even bother to try.  Ironically, our lack of effort is our true weakness.  You are stronger and more capable than you can possibly know.  When events occur and strength is demanded of you, you will be strong.  Realize that you need not wait for events to call.  You can demand strength of yourself right now.

There's No deadline for Your Dreams

We spend our whole lives making plans.  We set goals for ourselves in every part of our lives, and once in a while we look back and see what we've accomplished.  Though it is reasonable to have a time frame for our lives and our goals, the truth is that the dreams we had when we were younger don't have an expiration date.  Live your life toward your dreams.  No one will ask you what day it is when you get there.

Why Not Be Optimistic?

Without hope, what would you ever have tried?  Nothing you've accomplished, nothing you've enjoyed would have been possible unless you had first seen possibilities. Seize that view to guide you to the future you desire.

View Your Life as a Choice

In some sense, everything that has ever happened to you reflects the collective result of an almost infinite series of choices. From the trivial to the crucial, your choices brought you to this moment.  In recognizing that your choices matter and that they guide you, you are taking on a burden, but your are also giving yourself the opportunity to accept life's outcomes and to decide what kind of future you want.

You Define Success

It is all up to you.  No outcome can force you to feel successful or to feel that you failed.  No other person can convince you that what you have is good or bad.  It is up to you to define what life means and where you stand.  Define you life for yourself.

It's Less What Happened Than What Happened Next

You will face difficult times.  Everyone does. But how things turn out for you has less to do with the events themselves than with your response to them.  Answer the challenges that are presented to you, persevere through the traumas that may occur, and you will be made stronger for your life ahead.

Travel the Stable Road

Peeks give way to valleys.  It is a simple law of nature.  Your emotional highs will give way to emotional lows.  The best route to consistently feeling good is to value the plateau.