Be Kind and Forgiving.

“People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.”

It’s only in forgiving others that we can find freedom. If we wish to know release from bitterness, then we must let go of past wrongs. As Wayne Dyer said, “There are no justified resentments.” 

“If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.”

Kindness is the quickest way to get rid of an enemy. Returning evil for evil, blow for blow, just keeps the cycle of violence and hurt going. 

Shine Your Light and Build Your Dreams.

“If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway.”

Dimming your light won’t make others shine brighter.

“If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway.“

The Apostle Paul said in Ephesians that speaking the truth in love helps us to grow.

“What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway.”

Nothing in life is permanent. Everything made my humanity fades, withers and gives itself to entropy  eventually. However, while we are here, the things we create and build give joy to so many.

Do Good and Be Happy.

“If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The old cliché “misery loves company” is true. Feeling guilty over being happy will not make anyone else’s life better. It will only rob you of your life’s strength. Remember that there is vitality and strength in joy.

“The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway.”

People are often fickle and forgetful. It might be easy to feel like we deserve some recognition or accolades for the good we do, but Jesus taught that the reason for doing good is not to be remembered. The reason we do good is because it is in our hearts to do it.  We have nothing to prove. Doing good is its own reward.

Follow Your Bliss and Know God.

“Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.”

There will always be those who don’t understand, those who criticize. The late Joseph Campbell called them “dream killers.” Don’t let anyone’s view of you keep you from following your bliss.

“You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God. It was never between you and them anyway.”

In conclusion, as my dad once said, “A lot of people say a lot of things about me, but none of what they say matters. It only matters what God says.”

I’d like to say, that a lot of people say a lot of things about all of us, but the majority of the things they say about us only matter if we believe them. Each one of us has our own personal path to walk and in the end what counts most is how true we were to that path.  All we will take with us when we cross over is the love we give and the love we receive. Everything else is temporal.

Do it anyway.