"If you want to be happy, be."
--Leo Tolstoy

"With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

The past and the future have a way of sometimes robbing us of the present. It is in the present where we live, so when that happens we are really being robbed of life itself. Always live in the present, keep you mind and your focus in the present and on the present task at hand. Pay attention and focus on the people you are with now, not the people you were with yesterday or the people you may see tomorrow. You can be aware of the yesterday and tomorrow, but you must focus on today. Every "today" offers you a unique chance to live out your dreams.

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."

--Harriet Tubman

"All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose."

--Brian Tracy

Your dreams are one of your most precious possessions. Share them with those that support you, but guard them from people who might try to rob you of them. Write them down, and read them each morning to keep them in the forefront of your thoughts. Do one thing each day to move your dreams forward. Do this and success and happiness are inevitable.

"Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are."
--Norman Vincent Peale

"If you don't like something - change it. If you can't change it, change the way you look at it."
-- Maya Angelou

Our attitudes or the way we choose to see the world, the way we choose to interpret the events that impact us, is a critical ingredient in success and happiness. Too often we, as humans leave this most critical tool sitting unused in the toolbox, where it can do us no good. When you say "that person gets me angry" or "the traffic got me frustrated", you can be sure that this critical tool is sitting unused in you toolbox. Your response and attitude towards something should always be an active choice on your part. Declaring ownership over your emotions and reactions is a critical step to success and happiness that can not be missed.

"All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom."
--Albert Einstein

"But there is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you're fighting for."
--Paulo Coelho

When you are moving in line with your purpose, life becomes easier. Obstacles shrink in the face of a greater purpose. Pains and hurts will diminish. You will have energy where you did not before, and unexpected resources will flow in your direction. Doing what you love and what inspires you brings you closer to God, and that has the effect of smoothing the path and clearing the brush in front of you.

“Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.”
--Lao Tzu

"Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love."
--1 Corinthians

At it's most basic, all our actions are motivated either by fear or by love. Every action and every thought is either in response to fear or love, you are either moving away from something you fear or towards something you love. Love is often portrayed as being soft, yet here in two very different religious texts it is called the most powerful force of all. Martin Luther King and Gandhi both pointed this out as well. No matter what any situation looks like today, in the end the forces of love will win. When you are faced with a difficult situation, always make sure that you are acting out of love and not fear. If you do this, you have already secured a victory.

"I don't want to live. I want to love first, and live incidentally."
--Zelda Fitzgerald

"Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why."
--Eddie Cantor

Always remember that life is about the journey and not about the destination. Savor every moment of your life, as well as every relationship, and opportunity. Material successes will mean nothing in the end, if you have not enjoyed your life and enjoyed others in your life.

"Imagination is the true magic carpet."
--Norman Vincent Peale

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
--Albert Einstein

Stepping outside the world of the known, of "reality", is one of the most important steps you can take. As children we step into the world of our imaginations naturally. As adults we have often been conditioned out of it, through one too many admonishments to stop day dreaming. Make a commitment to yourself to spend a little time each day in the world of your imagination. It could be 5 minutes, or an hour, or more. The important thing is that you spend time inside your imagination, your creative side regularly. Every great accomplishment, breakthrough, and discovery was preceded by a great imagination and a great deal of day dreaming.

"The words "I am..." are potent words; be careful what you hitch them to. The thing you are claiming has a way of reaching back and claiming you."

--A.L. Kitselman

"3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark."

--James 3:3-5

Our words have a tremendous power, often far greater than we realize when we use them. We learn early on to be cautious in how we use them as they relate to others. We learn to not gossip, and not to talk bad about other people. What we must always remember though, is that our words have more power over ourselves than over anyone else. What follows an "I am" should always be something you feel good about being.

“Everyone Is God Speaking. Why not be polite and Listen to Him”
-- Hafiz - Sufi Poet

“……listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant. They too have their story.”
-- Max Ehrmann

Sometimes it is difficult to listen to others. Perhaps we feel too busy to take the time to listen. We may, at times, feel needy and just want others to listen to us. There may be times when we feel that the one speaking has nothing worthwhile to say. Remember that we are all connected to each other and all connected to the Universe. Hafiz said “Everyone is God speaking” That includes the teenager with the strange haircut. It includes the man down the street with the differing political views, the irritating neighbor, the questionable employee, and the little child that frequently interrupts you. “They too have their story.”

Learn to silence your thoughts as well as your words long enough to hear what others have to say. If you really listen you are paying respect to someone who has a connection to God - The Universe - Source. You may receive surprising new insights if you listen with a receptive attitude. These insights may help you in day to day life as well as your spiritual growth.

"Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.”
-- Robert Louis Stevenson

“Never lose sight of the importance of a beautiful sunrise, Or watching your kids sleep, or the smell of rain. It’s often the little things that really matter in life.”
-- Unknown

Why do you want that new car and the bigger house? Why do you want that powerful job?
Oh – to make you happy. I see. Have you looked around and counted your blessings lately? As long as you strive for those material things to make you happy you will n ever attain the happiness that you seek. Look at your family, your friends, and what you currently have. Look at a mountain, a river, the ocean, or a tree. Feel the power of nature and the joy that you are connected to that power. It is certainly not wrong to want nice things in life, but unfortunately most of us seek to attain our happiness through “things”. That will never happen. You can choose to be happy or you can choose to be unhappy.