“I am an
optimist. It does not seem to be much
use to be anything else.”
Winston
Churchill.
The famous
quote from Sir Winston, adorns the back if T-shirts, is used frequently in
scholarship competition and when you think about it, is spot on with regards to
a philosophy about life. Few people
would realistically confess to being a pessimist and be proud of it. The human
condition is such that we were not wired up that way from the get go. Instead, we were meant to be able to enjoy
our days here with a positive attitude regardless of the circumstances whirling
around us.
This brings us to another weapon to
dispel the notion that service organizations are no longer relevant in the 21st
century. It’s called the Optimist
Creed. Go ahead….Google it. Or just hang on for a few minutes and read it
at the end of this post. The words were
put down on paper by a gentleman named Christian D. Larson decades ago. They provide 10 processes to consider and
implement in life that will make life better.
They are not easy words to follow on a daily basis because of the
aforementioned circumstances swirling around us. An email that has an unpleasant message, a
disagreement with a loved one or having something go wrong at the office can all
derail us from the first tenant…”To be so strong that nothing disturbs yours
peace of mind.”
The
Optimist Creed provides a blue print for becoming a better person. I will argue that point until the day they
put me in the ground The Creed has made me a better person just by
trying to follow it and advocating the positions it lays out in black and
white. Personal development is a lynch pin of membership in Optimist
International and I know for a fact that the same applies for Lions
International, Kiwanis International, Rotary International or any other group
that falls under the service organization umbrella. To argue that personal growth is no longer
in vogue because of societal changes over the last few decades is
ludicrous. I know of very few people who
do not to want to better themselves in some aspect of their life.
Membership in a service organization can,
does and will help anyone become a better person, if they just give it a
try. There is another aspect to this
scenario and it will be explored in the next installment. Until then, think about accepting this
challenge; try to live your life by the tenants of the Creed for the next 30
days. I’m pretty sure life will be at
least a little bit better a month from now.
The Optimist Creed
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 of 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.
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