Promise Yourself – Christian D. Larson

Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing
can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity
to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel
that there is something in them
To look at the sunny side of everything
and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best,
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud words but great deeds.
To live in faith that the whole world is on your side
so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

― Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them

Dust if you must – by Rose Milligan

Dust if you must by Rose Milligan

Dust if you must, but wouldn’t it be better

To paint a picture or write a letter,

Bake a cake or plant a seed,

Ponder the difference between want and need?

 

Dust if you must, but there’s not much time, 

With rivers to swim and mountains to climb,

Music to hear, and books to read, 

Friends to cherish and life to lead. 

 

Dust if you must, but the world’s out there, 

With the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, 

A flutter of snow, a shower of rain. 

This day will not come round again. 

 

Dust if you must, but bear in mind, 

Old age will come and it’s not kind. 

And when you go – and go you must – 

You, yourself, will make more dust. 

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Thanks to my friend Elske, I found out about this poem.

I think it is wonderful and it tells you how you can’t sit around and do nothing.
Rose describes the wonderful things in life you can do instead of collecting dust, because when you are dead, you will collect more dust than you ever wished for!