Thursday Words to live by

For this week's words to live by, I chose an excerpt from one of Og Mandino's fables that was sent out by the president of the company I work for.  I found it to be wonderful.

For the Rest of My Life (by Og Mandino)
 

For the rest of my life there are two days that will never again trouble me...
The first day is yesterday with all it's blunders and tears, it's follies and defeats. Yesterday has passed forever beyond my control...

The other day is tomorrow with it's pitfalls and threats, it's dangers and fears. Until the sun rises again, I have no stake in tomorrow for it is still a myth...

With the help of my family and friends and only one special day to concentrate all of my efforts and energy, I can win! Only when I add the burden of yesterday and tomorrow, am I in danger of faltering under the load. Never again! Today is all there is! Today is the rest of my life and I resolve to conduct myself through every waking hour in the following manner...

For the rest of my life, on this very special day, I will:
- Heed the wise advice of those who care about me and treat everyone I meet, friend or foe, stranger or family, as I would want them to treat me.
- Greet all those I encounter with a smile instead of a frown, and a soft word of encouragement instead of disdain or even worse - silence.
- To make haste to be kind to others, understanding that life is too short and too soon ended to be petty or unkind.

For the rest of my life, on this very special day, I will:
- Understand that life always rewards me on the terms that I establish, and if I never perform or deliver more than that which I am paid, never will I have reason to demand or expect any additional gold.
- Always do more than is expected of me, whether at work, at play, or at home.
- Labor with enthusiasm and passion, no matter what the task at hand may be, realizing that if I cannot secure happiness out of my work I will never know what real happiness is.

For the rest of my life, on this very special day, I will:
- Realize that no path to success is too long if I advance bravely with relentless optimism.
- Remind myself that success has it's price and that I must be willing to balance it's joys and rewards against the precious piece of my life I must always exchange in order to achieve it.
- Never lose faith in a brighter tomorrow, for I know I must use that energy to fulfill the best that is within me to accomplish all my goals and dreams.

For the rest of my life, on this very special day of all days, I will do unto others as I would have them do unto me, to give more of myself every waking hour, to set goals and hold fast to my dreams, to search for the good in every adversity that befalls me, to perform all my duties with complete devotion, and above all, to be true to myself.

For the rest of my life, I will be the best I can be!