[278 words]
(1) I try never to say anything behind a man’s back that would give me the least embarrassment to say to his face.
(2) I try never to speak back to personal critics. Friends do not need to hear the defense and enemies would not believe it.
(3) Every day I greet every person I see with a smile and make a special effort if one is poor or in unfortunate circumstances.
(4) The first thing when I awake in the morning I plan what my duty for the day is and try to go beyond it.
(5) Every day I read from the Bible and from some other good book. Feeding the mind and soul is more important than bodily food.
(6) I try to pay every debt I owe on time and always to save something from every paycheck, however small.
(7) I like people and never harbor any malice or hatred toward any person in the world. I like places and have yet to be anywhere I do not like. I go there with the intention of liking the place.
(8) I am a confirmed optimist, believing that even in this life evil men will be punished by their own unhappiness and good men will be rewarded. “It is better further on.”
(9) I try to close each day as if it were the last day I’d be on earth, closing the books on all regrets, worries, and annoyances.
(10) The last thing I do at night is to count one by one the blessings of the day. This makes me so thankful and happy that I soon drift into pleasant sleep. In this spirit I hope to close life’s journey and drift into eternity.
George W. DeHoff
via The Spiritual Sword
Vol. 43, No. 4