BE THE

BEST YOU
CAN
 CONTENTS

YOU ARE PRECIOUS GIFT

TRUE SUCCESS IN LIFE

DON’T DWELL IN THE PAINFUL PAST

KEEPA CLEAR CONSCIENCE

BE A VIRTOUS PERSON

PRAYER

FORM A REFLCTIVE AND MEDITATIVE LIFE

EMBRACE THE CHALLENGE IN LIFE

BE POSITIVE MINDED

SELF AWARENESS

BE GRATEFUL IN LIFE

MOVING TOWARDS SATISFACTION AND HAPPINESS

 INTRODUCTION

LIFE IS A BOX OF CHOCOLATE. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU ARE

GOING TO GET.

Being the best you can depends on the way you model your life and especially
recognizing the power of yourself appraisal which enables you claim your identity
in life and knowing that you got the inner power to control and build your world.

All power to be your best is from within and is therefore under your own control to
be the best you can. You got to be the creator of your own experience because you
are the manager of your thought. For those who take critical decisions life may be
different: how true is that? Stare life in the face as you experience it like a roller
coaster ride. The meaning of life is something you create day by day with your
own actions and thoughts. Life is made up of choices and decisions. Each critical
choice has both consequences and benefits. Always weigh the latter and endeavor
to choose the best in life.

This book is an attempt to explore the facts and underscore the core values that
are common legacy of being the best you can. We are all born with some innate
abilities or traits. These traits begin to flower with our experiences and the great
impact they make on us depends on how we accept and control the comfort and
discomfort that come with it. As you keep investing in the ability of being the best
you can, you will enhance your potential and effectiveness, which will help
brighten your ways to moral growth and self fulfillment. This book has the
potential to empower and transform the reader into a more effective and efficient
person.

Be The Best You Can is meant to show you pathways to fuller and better living.
It is meant to provide enlightenment to the common weaknesses and deficiencies
which we experience as we go on in life. Trying to be the best we can helps us
break through new levels of personal and interpersonal effectiveness. We can lift
ourselves out of ignorance and find ourselves as creatures with inbuilt excellence,
great potentials, intelligence and good qualities. Our purpose in life is to find
perfection: “Be thee perfect as thy heavenly father is perfect”, living our life in the
best way we can is a sure route to perfection.

We have to put into practice the steps of constant improvement which is based on:
How we are, how we act, how we react and how we attract. All we want is to live a
fulfilling productive life. We want to realize our full potential for better living
through an effective life. One of the most unique and powerful gifts we have is the
ability to better ourselves everyday in every way. We have the ultimate
opportunity, the emotional, intellectual and physical facility to identify and execute
change in our lives.

I believe that you are great and that there is something magnificent about you.
Regardless of how young or old you think you might be, the moment you begin to
think properly that there is something in you, the power in you that is greater than
world, will begin to emerge. It will not only take over your life, and guide you but
will feed you, cloth you, protect, direct, and sustain your very existence.

You can be the “best you” because whatever you wish to accomplish you can; “if
you wish to see it done, you can complete it” be positive in your visualization. All
things is possible if you belief in yourself and in the Lord with the Lord’s help you
can accomplish anything. It is just that most people most people won’t pay the
price it takes to be the best they can. Feed a tree, water it, fertilize it, keep it where
there is sun and your tree will bear fruit. Deprive the tree of these essential needs it
dies. Deprive your mind of new ideas and positive reinforcing statements and
you’ll be like a robot stuck in a rut.

Don’t just read this book and do nothing. Study it. Absorb it. Make notes. Write
down what changes you plan to make in your life and how you will change. Take
one step at a time, be docile and ready to pay the price it takes to become the “best
you”.
 OPENING WORD

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is bliss, taste it.

Life is dream, realize it.

Life is challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is tragedy, confront it.

Life is adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight it.

-MOTHER TERESA –
 YOU ARE A PRECIOUS GIFT

“MAN IS BY NATURE AND VOCATION A RELIGIOUS BEING, COMING

FROM GOD, GOING TOWARDS GOD”.
The divine image is present in every man. It shines forth in the communion of persons, in
the likeness of the unity of the divine person among themselves.

- CCC -1702

Human person is rooted and dignified in His creator. Man exists because God created him
through love and through love continues to hold him in existence. You are precious gift because
your life is sacred and you bear a certain resemblance to God in the sense that Man is created in
the image and likeness of God. In the introduction part of Pope John Paul II encyclical
“evangelium vitea”, the Holy Father explains, “Man is called to a fullness of life which exceeds
the dimensions of earthly existence which consist of sharing the very life of God. The loftiness
of this supernatural vocation reveals the greatness and the inestimable value of human life even
in its temporal phase. Life in fact, is the fundamental condition, the initial stage and an integral
part of the entire unified process of human existence”. The life which God gave man is quite
different from the life of other living creature. In the book of genesis2:7, God formed man from
the dust drawn from clay and breathed into his nostrils a breath of life and man become alive
with the breath of God. God freely created us in his own image and likeness to make us share in
his own blessed life. To share in the blessed life of God is the highest and most precious gift God
has given to us. Saint Ireneous of Lyon would say “Living man is the glory of God. You are truly
a precious gift because in you there shines forth the reflection of God.

Endowed with a “spiritual” and mortal “soul”, the human person is the only creature on
earth that God has willed for its own sake from his conception; he is destined from eternal
beatitude.

-CCC-1703

God has a purpose of creating man; the reason is for man to seek Him, to know Him, to love Him
with all his strength in this world and come to live with Him forever in the next world. Because
of this love and purpose God has for man, He beautified him with a unique personality and
endowed him with intelligence and wisdom and made him lord of creation, all this the psalmist
proclaims when he says; “thou has made him a little less than the angels; thou crowned him with
glory and honour and has set him over the work of thy hands; thou has subjected all things under
his feet”. Your life is such a great asset. As you grow, you learn to protect your life, to take care
of your health, and to nurture your mind. But, do you really put the right effort in making most of
this gift called life? You don’t have to discover a new innovation or be a respectable personality
or the president of a country, but you do have a responsibility to ask yourself, do you consciously
try to acknowledge yourself as a gift and make the world better by meticulously making
appropriate use of the gift given to you?

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children; we are heirs- heirs
of God and co-heirs with Christ.

Rom8:16-17

God is an infinite personality and God is much more than human personality. As gift from God,
we are sacred and unique. God is the acme of divine personality throughout all creation. God
creatively beautified our personality with:

- Moral decision – that is the highest wisdom which enables us to make the right decision
in life.
- Spiritual choice – the true discernment
- Unselfish love – brotherhood service
- Purposeful co-operation – group royalty
- Cosmic insight – Ability to adapt to nature and participate in the work of the universe
- Personal dedication – whole hearted devotion to do the Father’s will
- Worship – the sincere pursuit of divine value and the whole hearted love of the divine
value giver.

Our personality is connected mainly with His social and psychological aspect; such as the sense
of dignity, self appraisal, value of orientation, beliefs, the principles by which He lives, his
moral, aesthetic, socio-political and other positions, conviction and ideal. We are also connected
with His character, the special feature of His intellect, the style and independency of thinking,
the specific notion of His emotional make up – his will, power, cast mind and feelings, His social
statues.

“For God did not confer on us a “gift” [spirit] of bashfulness, but of strength, love and
good judgement”.

- 2Tim1:7-

God specially made us to possess self consciousness and a world-view which enables us to
understand His social function and place in the world through the gift of self appraisal. It also
enables us to assert His identity in life. True self appraisal presumes an adequate degree of self-
consciousness and knowledge of one’s intellectual and emotional power. It also presumes the
features of one’s character, general make up of mental and spiritual world as well as physical
abilities. In adequate self appraisal, we gain the ability to set for ourselves realizable goals; to
rationally control the flow of our thought, to guide our general direction and choose our final
destination; to constantly check the suppositions we make; to reject unjustified variants and
hypotheses, in other words, to be self critical. In performing the very important function of
organizing effective control of our behavior, self appraisal is the necessary precondition of
measuring the level of our expectations- that is the task that we set for ourselves in which we
consider to be capable of accomplishing. A true self appraisal enables us to abandon any
undertaking we may have begun if we realize that it cannot yield good result – particularly if we
see that it is wrong or harmful course. The gift of self appraisal helps in establishing our dignity
and gives us moral satisfaction. A correct appraisal leads to inner harmony, ensuring a
reasonable self-confidence. It gives us the ability to see ourselves as we really are. God in His
love for us has showed us with His gift of wisdom, knowledge and understanding how to
recognize the centre of our being in which we know the answer to who we are and what we
really want in life and thus enabling us to seek our own way, make ourselves noble and realize
our true worth in life.

As a creature, the human person is distinguished from all other creatures by the gift of
freedom, bodily incarnated as male and female and animated by a spiritual principle traditionally
called the soul. Creating the human race in his own image, God inscribed in the humanity of man
and woman the vocation and thus the capacity and responsibility of love and communion. As a
distinguished creature, man is made up of a body in which dwells the spirit of God. Man receives
the gift of intelligence in the light of divine nature which makes him to share in God’s
knowledge. In His eternal mercy, God endows man with the ability to recognize right and wrong,
good and evil. In all that God created, man alone is directly related to the essence of God – with
the indelible impression of God’s image which man is marked, which makes him exclusively
different from the rest of the universe. This gift of deep-seated impression in man makes man a
sharer of God’s divine impression. Man is blessed with the gift of morality in the Book of
Genesis 1:28. After God created man in his own image and likeness, he gave man the
responsibility to see to the well-being of all he has created and blessed man and woman and
asked them to be “fruitful” and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it and to rule over
all creatures.

From the Book of Genesis 1:27-29, we acknowledge the fact that human personality is purely a
gift from God and by that we are called to the responsibility of service, love, living uprightly and
overcoming our weak points in life. This accurately shows that from the beginning, God blessed
us and endowed us with all the graces and gifts we need in life to be the best we can.

Can you bold enough to say to yourself I mean, I could tell that I really had…a precious gift.
And I am glad that I have followed through it and really nurtured it, honed it, made it sharp and
used it as a tool to be the best needed from me.
TRUE SUCCESS IN LIFE
“Just remember –God does not judge success the way the world does; his measurement is for
eternity. So don’t let the world’s evaluation discourage you. Just keep working. If you can
remember this, you will have a happy, satisfying, rewarding, and successful life in God’s
service”.

-Richard LeTourneau-

The world sees success as an achievement of social statues, completing a goal, reaching an
objective or achievement of an action within a specified set of time. People see success as
achieving something that is useful in this life on earth but that is not actually what true success is
all about or meant to be. True success goes far deeper. It can only be measured by the extent in
which your inner peace and mental control enables you to be happy under all circumstances. It is
something that is achieved that is of infinite, eternal value in this life and in the life to come.
Success is only possible if you walk in the Lord’s ways and allow the Lord to direct and walk
with you. As a mortal being you are limited, but as a child of God you are unlimited…. Focus
your attention on God and you shall have the power you want to use in any direction. “And
David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him”. -1Samuel18:14-

“Delight yourself in the lord, and he will give you the desire of your heart”.

- Psalm37:34-

Being successful means different things to different people. The question then goes; when
we say being successful in life, what does it mean? And how can one possibly create or achieve
success? One person’s success can be a catastrophe to another. Success or failure is not so much
about the situation, circumstance, event or outcome as it is about what “things” mean to the
person in the middle of it. In order to create success, you must first define it. You must make
clear what you want in life and what you don’t want for your life. For clarity produces
excitement, excitement produces momentum, momentum produces behavioral change, and
behavioral change produces different results. Eventually the internal vision becomes an external
reality making an uncomfortable situation to become comfortable. One can avoid a life of
mediocrity by always not taking the easy option or shortcut. When one constantly avoids the
discomfort of pain or failure, it means constantly avoiding the lessons and the personal growth of
life. “Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on “fire”. Pain is a
great teacher and sometimes what we need. If you want to succeed, you must strike out on new
paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.
 All labour is noble and uplifting! Your attitude to different kinds of work makes all the
difference. Take off your coat, roll up your sleeves and get down to work for your success
story begins there.

Sincere labour dignifies

Some soldiers were trying to push a wagon stuck in the mud. A corporal gave orders, but did
not lend a hand. A man came along and watched. He asked the corporal why he did not help too!
“I’m a corporal! How can I?” was the reply. The man took off his cloth, rolled up his sleeves
and helped. With his extra hand and moral support, the wagon was pulled out. “I am your
commander-in-chief,” said the man, “next time you need help, corporal, call on your
commander-in-chief.” He was none other than George Washington, the first president of United
States of America.

The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand and the determination that
whether one loses or wins, we have applied the best of our selves to the task at hand. Mortal
man’s brain is full of “cant’s”. Being born in a family with certain characteristics and habits, he
is influenced by these to think he can’t eat this, he can’t stand that. Those can’ts have to be
cauterized. Shakespeare wrote “our doubts are traitors and makes us lose the good we often
might win by fearing to attempt”. You have within you the power to accomplish everything you
want; that power lies in the will. If you cling to a certain thought with dynamic will power, it
finally assumes a tangible outward form. Take up one idea, make that one idea your life – think
of it, dream of it, live on that idea, let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full
of that idea and just leave every other idea alone.

He is the wisest who seek God. He is the most successful who has found God. “My son, do not
forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of
life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you, bind them
around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favour in the sight of
God and man”. -Prov 3:1-4 –

The book of Joshua 1:8 says “the book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you
shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written
in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success”.

The son of Confucius once said to his father: “I apply myself with diligence to every kind of
study, neglect nothing that could render me claver and brilliant; but I do not advance”. “Omit
some of your pursuit and you will get on better,” replied Confucius. Among those who travelled
by foot, have you seen any who run? It is essential to do everything in order, and to grasp that
which is within the reach of your arm; otherwise, you give yourself useless trouble. Those who,
like yourself, desire to do everything in one day, do nothing to the end of their lives while others
who steadily adhere to one pursuit, find that they have accomplished their purpose.
 For one to achieve success in life, one has to have strong faith in oneself and posses the power
or ability to stand on his or her feet, accept change and learn from his or her mistakes, also
improve by identifying ones goal and execute it with dedication and hard work. Facing
challenges squarely, never counting the attempts gives you the ability to conquer your limit
because nothing is impossible to the determined mind who takes initiative to be disciplined in all
he does, be it small or big and accept his or her self with high esteem will always come out a
victorious.

“The road to success is always under construction”.

We all have to accept the ups and downs towards the road of success. Because the road to
success is not straight; travelling towards the road of success, you will encounter a curve called
‘failure”, you will face a “loop” called confusion, you will meet speed bumps called friends, you
will come to a caution light called family and on the way, you will have flat tyres called job. But
in this entire encounter in life, if you have a spare tyre called “determination”, if you have a
sound engine called “perseverance”, and you have the insurance called “faith” and in good
contact with the divine driver called “God”, you will surely make it to the place of true success.
Hard work applied properly and intelligently and thinking in a positive organized manner must
lead to success.

Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a
successful personality and duplicate it. Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed
is more important than any other.

DON’T DWELL IN THE PAINFUL PAST

The Lord in his love for us extends to us His loving invitation; “Come to me, all you who are
weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I
am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my
burden is light”. - MATT11:28-30-

“The Past Is A Bucket Of Ashes, So Live Not In Your Yesterdays, Nor Just For Tomorrow,
But In The Here And Now. Keep Moving And Forget The Post-Mortems”.

-CARL SANDBURG

Dwelling in the past creates separation and fear feeds it. You must try to forget everything that is
in the past and keep it behind you, refusing to allow the dead hand of the past to be laid upon
your present or future, and turn a deaf ear to the satanic suggestion of the past, with its failures.
Don’t go over and over the past, revising it and touching it up – as if you could actually change
it; you cannot actually change it. It is actually fine to look at your past to see where some
emotions or behavioral patterns are coming from. The past can’t be accurately reconstructed or
interpreted. So it is pointless to ask what is “real”, instead, you must see all the visions of your
past that are in your mind and forgive each one. Then you will be free to return to the truth and
never left God’s heart. Focus on God and consider the future.

Pain in itself is not unbearable; it is the failure to understand its meaning that is unbearable. If
that thief {on the cross} did not see purpose in pain, he would never have saved his soul.
Pain can be the death of our soul or it can be its life.

Try to experience the peace of the Lord in your inner self and never abandon or neglect the
moment of stillness or silence. In your silence mode, you will experience the touch of God’s
hand, not the absence of physical agitation; you experience the peace of God’s voice not absence
of distracting noise; you experience the light of God’s smile not the absence of disturbing sight.
Don’t allow the past to preoccupy your mind because as soon as the mistake you made in the
past preoccupies your mind, the presence of God means nothing. Don’t be so afraid to look
closely at your painful memories; you can challenge the anxious thoughts, practice mindfulness
and be aware of what affects you the most- but as you look see God with you, which is the real
seeing. When you picture God’s arm around you, your recall is more complete and more truthful.
Then your increased honesty allows you to stop remembering yourself as either victim or
aggressor. We can’t change the past but we can learn our lessons from it and make good out of it.

“I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD; HE WHO FOLLOWS ME WILL NOT WALK IN

DARKNESS, BUT WILL HAVE THE LIGHT OF LIFE” [JOHN8:12].

As the day begins, remember that you take the light of the world with you; wherever you go and
regardless of what may happen during your day, his light cannot be put out.

Once upon a time a cave lived under the ground, as the caves have the habit of doing. It has
spent its life time in darkness.

One day it heard a voice calling to it, “come up into the light; come and see the sunshine”.

But the cave retorted, “I do not know what you mean. There isn’t anything but darkness.”
Finally the cave was convinced to venture forth. He was amazed to see light everywhere and not
a speck of darkness anywhere. He felt oddly warm and happy.

Turnabout was fair play so, looking up to the sun, the cave said, “Come with me and see the
darkness.”

The sun asks, “What is darkness?”

The cave replied, “Come and see!”

 One day the sun accepted the invitation. As it entered the cave it said, “Now show me your
darkness,” but there was no darkness.

When we feel guilt towards our mistakes and wrongdoing, it is humility and if we truly regret
it and plead for God’s mercy it is virtue. In true humility, bring yourself to gaze into the still
mirror of peace and see your likeness. Don’t be afraid to stare into God’s loving eyes and know
that you are cherished. Don’t believe that you don’t worth the effort just have a reason to try hard
because you are God’s child; you are the light of the world, you are created in the image and
likeness of God. You can erase all the pain of your past, all the misery, all the death and in place
of it bestow the joy of the angels. All you have to do is to love and forgive those who wronged
you, forgive your enemy, be grateful with the little you have, be charitable and just remembering
your birth in the image of God. If you can believe and say yes to this, you will have no excuses
to dwell in your past. So don’t spend a second “chewing on the mistake of your past; because it
is a meatless bone”.

God does not deal with the mistake of the past, He only looks on our effort; take for an
example, when Jesus met and spoke to Paul on the road to Damascus, despite his help in the
murder of Stephen and possible many other Christians, Jesus merely said to Paul that the way he
has chosen was difficult and that he should to follow him instead. Jesus did not discuss Paul’s
mistake, similarly, the father of the prodigal son did not discuss his boy’s sin against heaven.
God doesn’t dwell on our errors and we don’t know better than God what to think. All mistakes
require a correction.

“Make a pact with yourself today to not be defined by your past. Sometimes the greatest thing to
come out of all your hard work isn't what you get for it, but what you become for it. Shake things
up today! Be You...Be Free...”

KEEP A CLEAR CONSCIENCE

In your hearts set apart Christ as lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to every one who
asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect;
keep your conscience clear so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in
Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 1Peter3:15-16

Seek to be righteous not right. The need to be “right” speaks of arrogance, insecurity, ego and
stupidity. It is also synonymous with failure. The person who constantly needs to be right will
miss out on much of what life has to offer him/her and this will alienate him or her from others.
Arrogance repels, humility attracts.

Seek respect not popularity. It’s been said that our nature is who we are and our reputation is
who people think we are, when the two are synonymous we’re usually on the right part. We
should have it in mind that our conscience keeps before us our ultimate end, in other words, it
keeps before us our relationships with God, neighbor, world and self. Because we never know
ourselves completely, the decisions of our conscience are necessarily incomplete and partial.
And because our own circumstances are always historically, socially and culturally defined,
decision of conscience is necessarily fallible and subject to correction and change. This weakness
of the conscience can be corrected through the radical experience of ourselves as new creatures
in Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Our conscience can be weak and even faulty, but
obedience to the will of God will still lead us to salvation, because God purifies the conscience
and love proceeds from a pure heart with a good conscience and genuine faith.

Our conscience being the organ that has the knowledge of truth has soul and this soul has three
powers: intellect, will, memory. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, whose gifts are
permanent endowment that remains as long as sanctifying grace remains, and whose gift renders
the intellect and will docile and receptive to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit .The three powers
of our conscience are related to the image of God. It is connected to the trinity and helps us to
relate closely to the trinity.

FATHER

SON SPIRIT

INTELLECT [AKO] WILL [UCHE] MEMORY [NCHETA]

INSGHT WILL
Keeping clear conscience gives room for conscience formation which provides freedom:
Freedom from sin, which makes us move freely and closely to God. Freedom from trap, looking
into our conscience gives the ability of true examination. Peace in life; we enjoy good
conscience; we enjoy peace and enjoy our vocation in life. Happiness: we have to make our
target to live holy life and making our life pleasing to God. We also have to examine our
conscience and make it clean in order not to fear any guilt but rather have full happiness in life.
Clear conscience is our interiority. It helps us to enjoy the interior freedom from sin, freedom
from trap. A good conscience gives peace and happiness in life.

Conscience is a law and judge

Conscience is a judgement of reason where by the human person recognizes the moral
quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has
already completed. In all that he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully what he
knows to be just and right. It is by the judgement of the conscience that man perceives and
recognizes the prescription of the divine law.

-CCC1778 -

Judge says: Do good and avoid evil. Conscience is the judge which governs our daily
work, thought, action, omission in our daily life. Conscience is all embracing, listen to it at every
moment. It leads us in our daily life. It makes us responsible and free in making our choice. It is
our consulter, we have to consult it for peace and happiness.

Deep within this power of conscience we discover a law which must be obeyed “Do good and
avoid evil” which is imposed by God inside us. It supersedes any other law; it is a law that must
be obeyed under pain and death. Law of conscience is the voice of God, it never tells lies,
demanding what must be done in the right moment which is do good ‘here and now’ and avoid
evil ‘here and now’. Conscience is the message of him who speaks both in nature and in grace.
God speaks behind a veil so that you can’t see but hear it. Keep a clear conscience before God
and man, hold to the truth of faith.

Prv3:21-26. My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your
sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in
safety, and your foot will not stumble; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

A guilty conscience can be cleansed through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Go to your

confessor; open your heart to him; display to him all the recesses of your soul; take the advice
that he will give you with the utmost humility and simplicity for God who has an infinite love for
obedience, frequently renders profitable the counsels we take from others, But especially from
those who are the guides of our soul. Draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of
faith.

To keep a clear conscience demands discipline of reflection and interiority: “return to your
conscience, question it, turn inward and in everything you do see God as your witness”.

Our influence is like a shadow; it may fall where we think we’ve never been. We also need to
realize there is no “time out” or “vacation”. We can take in keeping God’s commandment or
being true to our conscience. Stay on track with what you know is right.

BE A VIRTUOUS PERSON
If you love righteousness, every virtue is the fruit of her labour for she teaches temperance,
prudence, justice, fortitude – all that is most valuable in life. – Wisdom8:7

Virtue, morality and religion. These are the amour my friends and these
alone render us visible. These are the tactics we should study; if we lose these,
we are conquered, fallen indeed. – Patrick Henry
Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians Chapter 4vs8, clearly explain the idea of virtue and living
a virtuous life: “ brother’s, your thoughts should be wholly directed to all that is true, all that
deserves respect, all that is honest, pure, admirable, decent, virtuous and worthy of praise. With
this in mind, virtue is the facility, disposition or attitude that moves one to accomplish moral
good and especially to do it joyfully and perseveringly even against inner and outer obstacles and
at the cause of sacrifice. Virtue is the power rooted in God’s grace that enables us to establish
and nurture healthy and life giving relationship with God, our neighbor, the world and ourself.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, virtue is the habitual and firm disposition to
do good. It allows the person not only to perform good act, but to give the best of himself. A
virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the
good and chooses it in concrete actions.

A virtuous soul is pure and unmixed light, springing from the body as a flash of lightning
darts from the cloud. Kindness, honesty, service and virtues are the essence of our character and
we ought to keep the practice of virtue at the heart of our everyday life and make effort to live
with purpose. Being a moral excellent person by acquiring a virtuous character which makes us
honest, respectable, courageous, forgiving and kind; living a positive character trait will make us
to be committed in doing the right thing no matter what the personal cost. And we don’t have to
bend to impulses, urges or desires, but act according to values and principles.
 Try to cultivate virtue in order to become more relevant and purposeful in daily life. Forming a
virtuous attitude or habit, helps us to take the helm of affair our lives, redirecting our course
towards greater fulfillment, peace and joy. Cultivating a virtuous character is very necessary for
our wellbeing and happiness. As we practice virtues and build our character muscle, we will
attract what may have been missing in our life such as fulfilling relationships, achievement of
meaniful goals and real happiness.

A person can acquire [human virtue] moral virtue through his own effort under the guidance of
reason and through education, by deliberating choosing to do good and through perseverance.
Morally good acts dispose all the powers of human being for communion with divine love and
enable the person to be strengthened. Moral virtue concerns mainly self control and relationship
with others. The four cardinal virtues under which all other virtues are classified are: prudence,
justice, fortitude and temperance.

The virtue of prudence is the infused virtue rooted in the practical intellect enabling the
individual to make correct moral decisions and carry out those decisions in particular
circumstance. It is the most important of all other virtues, for it is the guide of our entire moral
life setting rule and measure, it guides the judgement of the conscience. The virtue of prudence
directs and guides our moral principles without any error. It helps us to overcome our doubt
about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid. A prudent person looks at the concrete reality of
a situation with a clear, honest objectivity; references and applies the moral truth; makes a moral
judgement; and then commands an action. The virtue of prudence seeks to accomplish the action
in a good way- doing what is good in a good way.

The virtue of Justice is the moral virtue that inclines one to respect the right of others,
whether God’s or our fellow being’s and to render to them their strict due. It regards the right of
others not merely as seen from the light of reason, but from the view point of reason enlightened
by faith and elevated by charity and of our ultimate goal- eternal life with God. Justice towards
men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationship the
harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good.

The virtue of fortitude helps to control our inner life, our emotion, our desire and fear. It
ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of good. It helps us to steer the
middle course between fears and daring for lacking control; these two emotions can degenerate
into cowardice on the other hand and foolhardiness on the other. The virtue of fortitude
strengthens the soul to sustain and overcome the difficulties and dangers that beset us in our
moral lives and keeps us from giving up when the going is hard. The virtue of fortitude is
missing in persons who are always fearful of displeasing others, who remain silent in the face of
injustice, who shun conflict at all cost, who avoid “rocking the boat”, and who, therefore, do
only what they think is “expected” or “safe”.
 The virtue of temperance is the super natural virtue that moderates ones desire for pleasure
of the senses, and keeps them within the limit of reason illumined by faith. It ensures the will’s
mastering over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honourable. Although
temperance moderates all sense pleasures, it refers in a special way to the pleasure of taste and
touch which are the most likely to draw the appetite beyond the role of reason. It is one of the
necessary virtues in the spiritual life of an individual. Like fortitude it brings self control. While
fortitude strengthens, temperance moderates. Between these two virtues our entire inner life is
properly ordered.

The Theological Virtue: The theological virtue puts us in contact with God, enabling us to
know and love Him in a supernatural way. The virtues of faith, hope and charity have God as
their direct object. By faith we know God, by hope we trust in his goodness and promises, and by
charity we love Him. These virtues are infused by God into our souls to make us capable of
acting as the children of God and meriting eternal life.

Titus2:11-12 draws our attention to the fact that “the grace of God has appeared, bringing
salvation to all, teaching us to reject an irreligious way of life and worldly greed and to live in
the world as responsible persons, upright and serving God”.

The virtue of faith enables us to assent to the divine truth that God has revealed. It is a
supernatural virtue whereby, under the inspiration and assistance of grace, we believe those
things revealed by God to be true, not because the intrinsic truth of those things has been
perceived by natural light of reason but because of the authority of God himself revealing them-
He who can neither deceive nor be deceived. By its very nature faith is imperfect and obscure;
but to help correct its imperfection, as far as possible, we have the gift of understanding and
knowledge which perfect faith to become more penetrating, more comprehensive and more
divine. Through faith, we seek to know and do God’s will.

The virtue of hope is a divine infused virtue by which certain confidence relying on God’s
goodness and promises, we expect to attain eternal life and means to attain it. The virtue of hope
enables us to live the Christian life without the uncertainty and inconsistency of human hope, but
with the unshakable support of God on whom we rely.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the virtue of hope responds to the aspiration
to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hope that inspires
men’s activities and purifies them so as to order them to the kingdom of heaven. While faith
gives light, hope gives confidence. It eliminates discouragement from fault, temptation and
aridity found in every life.

The virtue of charity is the supernatural virtue infused by God into the will, for the love of
God above all things and ourselves and our neighbors for His sake. Charity is the queen of all
virtues; the one that unites all the other virtues and makes their actions meritorious. It is the key
virtue responsible for the growth of grace. Charity makes easier every effort and sweetens every
sacrifice. It can find expression in many ways as Saint Paul testifies [1cor13:4-7], it is the heart
and soul of prayer, as well as the motivating force of the spirit of mortification.

Charity upholds and purifies our human ability to love, and raises it to the supernatural
perfection of divine love. Charity as well as love is the soul of Christian existence and must be at
the heart of every other Christian virtue. All our action finds its completeness and perfection in
love. Thus, justice without love is legalism; faith without love is ideology; hope without love is
self-centeredness; forgiveness without love is self-abasement; fortitude without love is
recklessness; generosity without love is extravagance; care without love is mere duty; fidelity
without love is servitude. Every virtue is an expression of love. No virtue is really a virtue unless
it is permeated or informed by love. First letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians Chapter13, fully
demonstrates and explains that, Life is of no value without love and we are nothing without love,
in love we gain our perfection and love is the greatest of all virtues.

The theological virtue unites us to God while the moral virtues remove all obstacles that will
hinder this union. Acquiring these virtues and living them out will lead us to enjoy a better,
joyful and well fulfilled life.

LEARN TO PRAY
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all
your ways acknowledge the Lord and he will make your path straight.

Prov3:5-6

Prayer is a way of offering ourselves to God so that He can make use of us. In prayer, we get in
communion with God. Really, to pray is to stand to attention in the presence of the king and to
prepare to take orders from him. Prayer is the most important thing in life. If one should neglect
prayer for a single day, he loses a great deal of the fire of faith. All we need to guide us is to be
found in our own heart. There, in the depth of our being, are truth, goodness and love. These are
found there because the source of all life is God, within He has made his home in us.

Acknowledge that prayer is the highest exercise of the virtue of religion, pray in worship,
praise, thanksgiving, sorrow, reparation and petition. God made man to know him, love him,
serve him in this world and to be happy with him forever in the next. We come closer to God
through prayer; prayer is man greatest purpose in life that is, seeking the face of God. Saint John
Chrysostom clearly says that “it is simply impossible to lead without the aid of prayer.

We are nothing, we can do nothing, achieve nothing, and fulfill nothing without praying. Prayer
is our most dependable ways to life fulfillment. Saint Ephraim of Syria says, “Virtues are formed
by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance, prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of
pride and envy, prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit and raises man to heaven”. In any
situation you find yourself in life, always pray and pray with a good heart, trust and faith in God.
If you are poor – pray
If you are rich – pray.
If failure discourages you – pray.
If success encourages you – pray.
You have been burdened with unfair responsibilities – pray.
You have been entrusted with deserving responsibilities – pray.
You have been paid fairly – pray
You have been paid handsomely – pray.
When your dreams are shattered – pray.
When hope seems dead – pray
Prayer is the key to success
Prayer is the greatest morale booster.

Prayer is very effective and provides answer to problems in life. If you neglect your prayer, you
invite worry, fear, doubt, and spiritual weakness. So pray, pray, pray. And pray in humility and
sincere heart. As Saint John Chrysostom affirms “prayer is the place for every worry, a
foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant happiness, a protection against sadness”.

“Be joyful in hope, patience in affliction, and faithful in prayer”. – Romans12:12-

All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will
receive what they have asked and desired, although not in the hour or in the measure, or the very
thing which they ask; yet they will obtain something greater and more glorious than they dared
to ask.
Don’t pray to escape trouble. Don’t pray to be comfortable in your emotions. Pray to do the will
of God in every situation. Nothing else is worth praying for.

The power of prayer

Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it could not rain and it did not rain on the
land for three and half years. Again he prayed, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced
its crops.

James5: 17-18
Always recognize the power of prayer; because in modest and humble prayer, we see the eyes
that never sleep beneath the wing of the night, we recognize the ear that never shuts, when sink
the beams of light, we experience the arm that never tires when human strength gives way, we
feel the love that never fails, when earthly love decays, in prayer, we come to know the power
which faith can wield when mortal aid is vain. The power we experience in prayer is that which
soars on high to the throne of God our heavenly king and moves the hand which moves the world
to bring deliverance down.

Make it a point of duty to love your God with all your heart and with all your mind and
soul and God will lead you on to find your long sought cherished goal. Put your faith in God
when things go wrong for he will lead your way and drive away the cloud of gloom and brighten
each new day of your life. Never doubt your prayer or believe that you prayed in vain, for it is
not true. Always believe that your prayer most surely be answered from above; that God in his
mercy and love will guide and strengthen you.

Sincerity to God in prayer: In our prayer, we have to be sincere with God for the prayer of a
righteous person is powerful and effective. Sincerity to God entails that you ought to comport
yourself as son or daughter to God your heavenly father. Avoid isolating yourself in your
selfishness, resist thinking of earthly favour and worldly things, always honour the Lord your
God, and avoid confounding the kingdom of God with material success; always accept the will
of God even when it is painful, attend to the need of those who are hungry, those who have no
means of livelihood or those who cannot develop themselves materially or spiritually. Don’t hold
grudges, rancor against your brothers and sisters, avoid sin and the intention to continue in sin,
always be against evil, injustice, corruption, oppression, and every other sin.
Many ingredients of prayer are seen in the Lord’s Prayer: praise, worship, hope, surrender,
contrition, confession and petition. Saint Paul tells us “pray constantly, give thanks in all
situation and circumstance: for the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” [1Thes 5:17].

Always take seriously all the words you pray with in your prayers. God hears and answers
prayer, he is always near to us [Ps 34:15-18]The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his
ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the
memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them: He delivers them
from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed
in spirit.

For you to be the best you can, pray and never give up, never say you can’t go on; it is a sign of
not starting at all. If you have started, then you must get to the finish for in prayer lies the power
to conquer.
LEARN TO MEDITATE AND REFLECT ON YOUR LIFE
Take time. Give God time to reveal Himself to you. Give yourself time to be silent and quiet
before him, waiting to receive through the Spirit, the assurance of his presence with you, his
power working in you.

But he who practices meditation is “like a tree which is planted near the running waters,
which shall bring forth its fruit in due season.” -Psalm 1:3-

To be the best you can, being real, being happy in life, meditation and reflection are very
necessary because without meditation, we have no strength to resist temptation and practice
virtue. Saint Bernard says that “meditation regulates our affection, directs our actions and
corrects our defects”. It is wholesome and is as essential as food for our growth. To study you
need silence, to recoup from illness you need quiet, to have a good change from business life you
must run to a quiet resort. We cannot lead peaceful lives unless we think peaceful thoughts. All
the great teachers and sages of the world have thought that truth must be sought in solitude; not
in business activities or humdrum of human affairs but the desert calm. There the voice of the
Lord is heard more clearly to man. When we meditate over our weakness, we learn to be strong.

Dedicating some time to meditation is a meaningful expression of caring for self that can help
us move through the mire feeling unworthy of recovery. As our mind grows quieter and more
spacious, we can begin to see self- defeating thought patterns for what they are, and open up to
other, more positive options which will provide us with a technique that allows us to dive within,
transcend and experience the source of everything. It is such a blessing for the human being
because that eternal field is a field of unbounded intelligence, creativity, happiness, love, energy
and peace.

Meditation calms, centers and empowers us. It slows down our thought and connects us to
stillness and peace within. Starting our day with meditation helps to establish a peaceful state of
mind; a peaceful mind leads to a peaceful life. We benefit a lot in meditation for meditation
improves our concentration; it relieves stress; it deepens our relaxation; slows our breathing;
shifts our perspective to the positive side; helps us to centre well; calms our mind; strengthens
our ability to let things go; increases the awareness of our thoughts; reduces our mental chatter;
eases our restlessness and gives us the light and ability to tap into our inner most self.

Saint Charles Borromeo says; “We meditate before, during and after everything we do”, he also
added: “I will pray, and then I will understand”. This is the way we can easily overcome the
countless difficulties we have to face day after day, which, after all are part of our work. In
meditation we find strength to bring Christ to birth in ourselves and in others. In meditation, we
embrace our worries, our fear, and our anger; and that is very “healing”. We let our own natural
capacity of healing do the work. As Thomas Aquinas so wisely put it: “contemplate aliis tradere”
–we deliver to others things upon which we have meditated.
Reflection helps us to gain a greater sense of purpose and direction in living our life. When we
reflect upon the past, we shape the path to meaniful life and pave way for inspirations to flow in,
to guide our way of life. A reflective person goes a step further and sets himself apart from all
other humans. Reflection is a way to share our unique experience, observations, belief and
feelings as nuggets of wisdom for those closest to our heart. We do not learn from experience,
we learn from reflecting on our experiences.

The habit of reflection helps us to actualize our dream. Through reflection, we evaluate our
capability to organize and execute courses of action to attain a designated goal in life. If we take
time to think and reflect on what we want in life, we get to know more about ourselves and gain
the ability to find out who we are in life. This makes us to be honest to ourselves, trust in our
ability and be able to choose our goals carefully. Reflection helps us to find much interest and
pursue the right and important objectives in life in order to achieve success.

To live a happy and peaceful life, try to establish a peaceful reflection in your life by spending at
least thirty minutes to one hour in meditation and reflection, reviewing your day without
judgement or criticism. Make effort to forgive yourself and others. Treat yourself with
compassion and kindness during this time or moment of reflection and allow the past to pass.

EMBRACE THE CHALLENGE IN LIFE

The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy
mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high
and heroic temper

-Aristotle-

‘To keep me from becoming conceited because of this surpassingly great revelation, there
was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded
with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “my grace is sufficient for you, for my
power is made perfect in weakness”. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my
weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in
weakness, in insults, in hardship, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak then I am
strong’.

-2COR. 12:7-10 -
To embrace challenge is to embrace life because life is full of challenges, ups and downs; life is
messy, unpredictable, unfair, uncertain, lumpy and bumpy. So get use to a little chaos, embrace it
even while others succumb to the messiness and unpredictability of human experience. Make a
conscious choice to be calm in [the] chaos.

Don’t become anyone but you. Why not make things easier for yourself if you can? don’t let
things bother you too much, just do the best you can under any circumstance. One thing though-
don’t use “the best I can” as an excuse for bad work or poor showings. Too many of us brush
things off with “it’s the best I can do” and leave things practically undone. So when I say, do the
best you can under the circumstance, I mean the best you can, not second best. Then you’ll never
have to look back at it and feel sorry about it. Because the great purpose in life is to live it by
overcoming the challenges that comes with it.

Some people are great and by all means respect them, love them and learn from them. But please
don’t become them: that is just plain ugly and a little bit tragic; listen to them, but think, act and
decide for yourself. Know that you don’t need anyone’s approval or permission; you are you:
that is who you are. Use more of what you already have. Imagine what you could achieve if you
took all the knowledge, intelligence, opportunities, time, skill and talent that you currently have
and absolutely milked them. What if you already have enough talent to face your challenges and
become widely successful? Well, you do. There go the excuses and the voice that is telling you
right now that you don’t have what it takes to face the challenges and become successful. That is
called fear not logic, fear not reality unless of course, you allow that to become reality. Be
mindful that God created you with capability, ability to face challenge and be successful in life.

The most authentic aspect of human life is the capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to
transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering. It is vital for every human being to have a
meaning in life. When it is non-existent or superficial, one feels an emptiness deep within and
one crumbles in the face of suffering and the harsher realities of life. But one who has a “why” to
live, can manage anyhow. Even adverse circumstances cannot crush a person who has a deep-
seated reason to live.

The voice in your head, the very loud, annoying and persistent one, is rarely a reflection of your
potential and mostly a manifestation of your insecurity, and no, you’re not alone in yourself –
doubt; it’s a universal condition. Many people fail, not because they don’t have what it takes, but
because they already have this little doubt in them. Successful people typically don’t have more
innate potential luck, time or opportunity than the next person, but they consistently find a way
to use much more of what they have at their disposal. While the majorities are rationalizing their
lack of decision making and action taking, these guys are finding a way to get the job done. The
question is not “how much ability do you have, but how much will you use”.

In your life challenge, long to live a more authentic life; living with authenticity means that
who you appear to be to others is who you really are. Your belief, your values, your
commitments, your inner realities are all reflected in how you live your life on the outside. The
more you live authentically, as who you truly are, the more peace you will experience.

In your life challenge, be an innovator not an imitator: not too many sheep succeed.
Sometimes it is a good idea to build your own team rather than join someone else’s. Don’t let
your fear stand in the way of your potential to create, innovate or lead, don’t listen to side talk or
discouraging suggestions. Always have a mission in life; for if our hearts have no mission, we
may not get the vision; if we have no vision, we may as well have no mission to accomplish. So
if we embrace the vision and fail to commission it, we may end up virtually blind, deaf and dump
even when we are surrounded with all the brightness, all the smells and all the words within our
reach to germinate where we have been planted for a purpose.

Do what most won’t. If you want to achieve what most people won’t [happiness, joy, calm,
wealth, optimal health, balance] then don’t do what they do. If you want to be like the majority,
then do what they do. Producing different result comes from doing different things simple and
effective. Most people “won’t persevere, won’t finish what they start, won’t find good, won’t do
what it takes, won’t question their long-held beliefs, won’t be solution-focused, won’t do what
scares them and won’t be the change ” they want to see in their world. Be like water, powerful,
gentle, adaptable, and ever changing. Being static in a dynamic world – like the one you and I
inhabit – is a recipe for disaster. If you can’t adapt, you can’t succeed.

The profitable way to face challenges in life is to be yourself, trust in your capability and “be the
best you can” and carry on in life.
In life endeavour make yourself fully active:

Don’t just belong – Always try to participate

Don’t just care – Always try to help
Don’t just be fair – Always be kind
Don’t just forgive – Always love
Don’t just earn – Always try to enrich
Don’t just teach – Always serve
Don’t just live – Always grow
Don’t just be friendly – Always be a friend.

Sometimes we are carried away by what we want to be or what we want to do and forget to
strike a deal with what we are and who we are. It is through who we are and what we are that can
gradually take us to what we want to be or to do. We can be what we want to be through whom
we are and through whom we are we can achieve that which we want to be, living one day at a
time.

In every challenge of life seek the face of God and allow his “will” to be accomplished in your
life: For the will of God takes you;
Where the grace of God can keep you,
Where the arms of God can support you,
Where the riches of God will supply your needs,
Where the power of God will endow you

The will of God takes you

Where the spirit of God will work through you,
Where the wisdom of God will teach you,
Where the army of God will protect you,
Where the hands of God will mould you

The will of God takes you

Where the love of God will enfold you,
Where the mercy of God will sustain you,
Where the peace of God will calm your fears,
Where the authority of God will overrule for you

The will of God takes you:

Where the comfort of God will dry your tears,
Where the word of God will feed you,
Where the miracle of God will be done for you,
Where the omnipresence of God will always find you.
In the time of challenge you can experience God’s protective care and even through the
tears, sing praises to God. For in the day of trouble he will keep you safe in his dwelling; he will
hide you in the shelter of his tabernacle and set you high upon a rock. Then your head will be
exalted above the enemies who surround you; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shout of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
-Ps 27:5-6.

BE POSITVE MINDED

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, lovely, whatever is admirable- if

anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. Whatever you have learned
or receive or heard from me, or seen in me- put it into practice. And the God of peace will
be with you.

-PHIL.4:8-9
It seems we are always trying to eat foods that are healthier. My question to you is: “what have
you been feeding your mind lately” just like body, your mind has to be fed information. Your
mind reacts to what it is fed.

You should customize your own statement to fit your own personality and needs. But always use
the positive statement about yourself with plenty of feelings! Always make a positive self
statement like I am healthy, I feel healthy, I am happy, I feel happy, I like myself, I love the way
God has created me, I will be successful, I can, I will, all things are possible, I believe in myself
and with the help of God I will accomplish anything, I feel great, I feel wonderful etc. start to act
enthusiastic, you will become enthusiastic. Start to act happy, you will become happy. Start to be
positive minded, you will become positive. We have choice in life try to make the right choice.

Believe in yourself; Set your standard high, for you deserve the best. Always try hard for what
you want and never settle for less. Believe in yourself, put more effort and trust what you do no
matter what you choose. Keep winning attitude and you can never lose. Think about your
destination be sure that you are making the right choice, but don’t worry if you stray, because the
most important thing is what you’ve learned along the way. Take all that you’ve become to be all
that you can be. Rise above the clouds and let your dream set you free.

Be courageous never belittle your effort “follow your bliss and the universe will open doors
for you where there is only walls” see yourself with the good desire. But whatever you think will
always be:

If you think you are beaten, you are

If you think you dare not, you don’t
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
It will be almost certain you won’t
If you think you will lose, you’re lost
For out of the world we find, success begins with a fellows will
It is all in the mind
If you think you are out-classed, you are
You’ve to think high to rise

You’ve to be sure of yourself before you can ever win a price. Life’s battles don’t go always to
the stronger or to the faster man but sooner or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he
can.

You can begin right now to feel healthy, you can begin right now to feel prosperous, you
can begin right now to feel the love that is surrounding you even if it is not there and what will
happen is that the universe will correspond to the nature of your song, the universe will
correspond to the nature of that feeling and it become manifest because that is the way you feel.
What you think and what you feel and what you manifests is always a match every single time
no exception. It is really important that you feel good because this feeling good is what goes out
as a signal to the universe and start to attract more of itself to you: so the more you can feel good,
the more you attract to things that helps you feel good and will keep bringing you up more higher
and higher.

Generate the feeling: The universe like speed don’t delay, don’t second guess, don’t doubt,
when the opportunity is there, when the impulse is there, when the intuitive is there act that is
your job and that is all you have to do.

The secret: To know the secret gives you everything you want,[ happiness, health and wealth]
you can have and be anything you want, whatever you choose, what kind of house, what kind of
business you want to have, any course you want to study, what really do you want? Many
miracles take place in people’s life: financial miracle, miracle of healing: mental healing, healing
of relationship etc all this happen because the secret is applied. The secret is the answer to all
that has been, all that is and all that will ever be. We all work with one power, one law, which is
“attraction”. The secret is the law of attraction.

Everything that is coming into your life you are attracting into your life and it is attracted to
you by the virtue of the image you are holding in your mind; that is what you are thinking.
Whatever is going on in your mind is attracted to you. Hold what you want and make it
absolutely clear in your mind what you want, you become what you think about most and you
attract what you think about most. If you have a thought of having something precious, and you
are thinking that thought over and over again until you imagine in your mind of having it
manifest, you are admitting that frequency on a constant basis; your thought are setting out
that magnetic signal that is drawing the parallel back to you. See yourself living healthy, happy
and joyful you will attract it.

The problem is that most people think about what they don’t want and are wondering why it
shows up over and over again. The law of attraction does not care whether you perceive
something to be good or bad or whether you don’t want it or you do want it, it is responding to
your thought. So if you are sitting looking at the mountain of death feeling so terrible about it
that is the signal you are putting out to the universe; You are just informing it to yourself,
feeding it into your being and that is likely what you are going to get more often. You attract it
to yourself you feel it at every level of your being that is what you are going to get more. So
when you are looking at something you want and you are saying yes to it, you are positive
about it, you are activating a thought and the law of attraction is responding to that thought
and bringing you things that match that thought. Attraction gives you whatever you think and
focus on. So if you are complaining how bad something is, what you are creating is all about
more bad it is. Don’t be so passionate about things you don’t want because when you focus on
things with a lot of passion, it makes it happen even faster. Make it a point of duty to be always
positive in life. Bring your attention, your focus to the things you really want in life it will change
your whole life. It has to do with you being the magnet, attracting love, attracting people,
attracting life style and everything you bring to your experience because positive thought is
hundred times stronger than negative thought.

To live a positive life, you have to believe in yourself and make a decision within yourself and
crown it with a sincere effort by making up your mind; to be strong and never allow anything to
disturb your peace of mind; to talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet;
to make other feel their value and that there is something precious in them; to always look at
the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true; to think only of the best,
work for the best and expect only the best; to always be just as enthusiastic about the success
of others as I am about mine; to forget the mistake of the past and press on to a greater
achievement of the future; to always wear a friendly countenance at all times and give every
creature your smile; to spend more time improving yourself and have no time left to criticize
others. And consider each day as a gift from God.

Always know that God grace is sufficient in your life: God is able to make all grace abound to
you, so that in all things at all times; having all that you need, you will abound in every good
work. - 2COR 9:8

SELF AWARENESS

A Knowledge of interaction of your conscious and subconscious mind will enable you
transform your whole life.

Self awareness is the ability to have a clear perception of your personality, including strength,
weakness, thought, belief, motivation and emotion; it also allows you to see people how they
perceive you, your attitude and your responses to them in the moment.

When you develop self awareness, it will help and enable you to make changes in the thought
and interpretation you make in your mind. If one can change the interpretation of his mind, it
gives one the opportunity to change his emotion. Self awareness is very important in one’s life
because it is the attribute of emotional intelligence which is an important factor of achieving
success.

Being sure of yourself, enables you to create what you want and master where you focus your
attention; master your emotion, reaction, personality, and behavior because all these determines
where you go in life. It is all about understanding our needs, desire, forts, and everything else
that makes you tick. The more you know about yourself, the better you are at adapting life
changes that suit your needs. In the sense that the more you pay attention to your emotions, and
how they work, the better you will understand why you do the things you do. The more you
know about your own habit, the easier it is to improve on it. To do this, you have to question
every aspect of approach; including your methodology, biases and deeply held assumptions; you
have to honestly challenge your believe and summon the courage to act on the information which
may lead to fresh ways of thinking about your life and goals

To be sure of yourself, you have to “stay true to yourself”. This is actually important but it is
not easy to stay true to self, if you do not actually know who you are. But by being sure of
yourself and knowing who you are, understanding your strength and limitations, you open the
opportunities that just aren’t available if you don’t know yourself. It will also help you to have
more honest and genuine relationship because the people you are attracted to will be attracted to
you for whom you actually are.

Access yourself talk: being self aware means that you have to always listen to yourself, pay
attention to what is going on in your mind and find out the kind of thought that is going on
within you, whether negative or positive. Make out time each day just sit in silence and listen to
what you are thinking, get yourself to stand in a mirror and hear what you are saying to yourself
about how you look. It might even help you write down your thought so you can get a better idea
of how positive or negative they are.

Be self aware through making use of your senses; the sense provide us with a huge insight into
the world, ourselves, other people and situations. These senses are often viewed through the filter
of our own self talk. Like for an example; a frown face does not mean someone is angry and
someone groaning means the person is boring. When our mind is determining how we see things
it can be easy to start feeling hurt. Practice self awareness in yourself assurance. When you fill
like someone is judging you or has made you feel bad about yourself, take a step back and try to
write down why you think so. Ask yourself, have I misinterpreted the action or have I interpreted
it differently? You might actually find out that the interpretation was clouded by your own
negative thought.

Always get your feelings out. It might be hard for a type of person who likes to think deeply
about his feelings but it is really worthwhile. For the fact that our feelings are spontaneous and
emotional responses to the things we experience, like our senses they give us good information
about what’s going on around us. It can be hard at times to tune into feelings but there are a
couple of physical signs that one can look for, which might help. Eg; a warm feeling in a
person’s face might mean the person is embarrassed; a feeling of butterfly in a person tummy
might mean the person is nervous and clenching of teeth might mean the person is angry. Look
out for physical signs which might indicate how you are feeling. You can get a better insight into
what you like, what makes you uncomfortable and what makes you angry.
 BE GRATIFUL IN LIFE

Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? - LK 17:18

“To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us - and He has
given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence
is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him.
Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly
awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person
knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the
difference.”

What can you do to begin to turn your life around; A true Christian is a man who never for a
moment forgets what God has done for him in Christ, and whose whole life component and
whole activity have their root in the sentiment of gratitude. When you Cultivate the habit of
being grateful for every good thing that comes to you and give thanks continuously For all the
things that have contributed to your advancement - you should include all things in your
gratitude. Because when you express gratitude for any situation, it project a magnetic force and
draws to you more of what you expressing gratitude for.

The bible teaches us to be grateful: Eph 5:20 tells us to always thank God in everything by
giving thanks to God the father. And in 1thess 5:18 it tells us that the will of God for us and our
vocation as Christians is to give thanks to God at every moment. So start making a list of things
to be grateful with. Start with that because this shapes your energy as it start to shape your
thinking. Start to be grateful of all the things you fill good about for gratitude is absolutely the
way to bring worm in your life. Every man knows it when his wife appreciates the little things he
does, all he want to do is to do more. It is always about appreciation, it pulls things in, and it
attracts support. You have to make it the part of you waking up every morning to say thank you
and start to run through what you are grateful for.

As soon as you begin to be grateful of what you have, you will start to attract more of the things
you can be grateful for because you can look around and say; I don’t have the house I want; I
don’t have the car I want; I don’t have the health I want; I don’t have the spouse I want; back
off! Back off! Don’t focus on all the things you don’t have. Put your Focus on what you already
have that you are grateful for, it is very important to lead an attitude of gratitude.

“Do not be anxious about anything, in everything resort to prayer and supplication together with
thanksgiving and bring your request before God. The peace of God which surpasses all
understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

- Phil 4:6-7

It pays a lot to live a life filled with gratitude because when you are grateful, you will be more
generous and more responsible. Being grateful will make you more happy, less depressed and
less stress. When you are grateful, you fill more satisfied with your life and social relationship.
Being grateful will make you have higher level of personal growth and purpose in life. When
you are grateful you will be able to accept yourself and have closer family relationship. Being
grateful create more positive ways of coping with life difficulties. Being grateful makes one less
negative in dealing with others, gives reason to rejoice in all circumstances in life.

Above all gratitude is one of the greatest virtues; it is a way of life; it is riches and oil that
gladden the heart. He enjoys much who is thankful for little; a grateful mind is both a great and
happy mind.

“O lord who lend me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness”.

- Shakespeare

MOVING TOWARDS SATISFACTION AND HAPPINESS

Be content with what life gives you: A content spirit is the sweetness of existence. Be happy
with what you can afford. The easiest way to be content with your life is to adjust your
perspective and daily action, which will make you more likely to appreciate what you have. So
make it your point of duty to start enjoying the sunshine instead of complaining about sun burn.

A rich industrialist from north India was horrified to find a southern fisherman lying lazily
beside his boat, smoking a pipe.

“Why aren’t you out fishing?”said the industrialist.

“Because I have caught enough fish for the day,” said the fisherman.

“Why don’t you catch some more?”

“What would I do with them?”

“You can earn more money,” was the industrialist’s replay.

With that you could have a motor fixed to your boat and go into deeper waters and catch more
fish. Then you would make enough to buy nylon nets. These would bring you more fish and more
money. Soon you would have enough money to own two boats….. Maybe even a fleet of boats.
Then you would be a rich man like me.

“What would I do then?”asked the fisher man.

“Then you would really enjoy life”.

“What do you think I am doing right now?”

To be content with the life God has given us is to live the richest life of all.

Change your perspective: change your perspective in life and try to live in the present. To be
happy in life, you have to enjoy and embrace the present moment without minding or getting
stuck on the past or being obsessive over what the future will look like. This does not mean that
you will not in a healthy manner think of the past; because thinking of the past in a positive way
can help you learn from your mistakes and thinking of the future can help you set goals and be a
long time planner. But if you want to be happy with what you have, then take some time to enjoy
exactly what you are doing right now. Focus on what the day will bring you instead of what
happened yesterday or what you’ll be able to change tomorrow.

Be grateful with what you have and that which you can afford: instead of worrying about the
things you do not have, remember how lucky you are – look around you and see there are people
you are better than. Even though you feel that your life is falling apart, make the effort to look
inside you, you will surely find the things you are grateful for focus on that.

Appreciate the little you have: appreciate the little things you have and thank God for it; the air
you breath, your health, your family, the food you eat, the sunshine which brightens up your day,
every little details in life counts. Focus on it and be appreciative. Make out time to reflect on
everything that is going on in your mind. As you reflect on all that cross your mind, surely you
will see a good reason to be happy with what have, where you are, and your state in life. Always
access all that goes on in your life. The habit of reflection will help you rationally when a
problem arises and will keep you from being blind-sided by problems that are lurking in your
life.
Avoid comparing yourself with others: never compare yourself with those whom you fill is
better than you, because it keeps you from being truly happy with your life. Stop thinking or
imaging how great, how prosperous, elegant and beautiful your neighbor is while your life is
riddled with problem or is nothing to talk about. Bringing yourself to think on those things will
never change anything rather; it will do you a lot of harm. And when you stop comparing
yourself with those you think is better than you, it will do you a great favour. Just focus on your
own strength. Get to know yourself, and discover what your greatest gift is in which you are
meant to share with the world.

Try to cover up: make the effort not to publicly show when you fill disappointed or move
around complaining on how bad and awful you feel, because being upset and complaining to all
will make you feel worst. Instead try to be extra cheerful, extra friendly, and funny. Sharing with
a good friend can help you work out your problems. Adopt the habit of positive pretence –
when you pretend to be happy, happiness will overtake you. It will surely surprise you how
quickly this attitude of positive pretence will actually trick your mind to feel real happiness.

Take time to feel your sadness: happiness is not the absence of sadness. You have to confront
your sad feelings and allow yourself to cry them out. When you confront your feelings, it will go
a long way to help you appreciate and recognize the good in you and be happy for whom you
are. Forgive yourself don’t punish yourself for something you have done in the past. Instead,
look at the mistake as a learning experience. If you did something you are not proud of, resolve
to never do it again, and take steps to keep it out of your mind.

Money and wealth will not change as much as you think: being wealthy will not make you
happy. Because money cannot add or change your inner gift of peace - You might have all the
wealth in life but not contented or satisfied with it. Money only satisfies your pleasure but not
the need of inner happiness. Your happiness comes from you and only you can decide to work
it out because you have the potential and the gift inside of you.

Feel compassion for others: the part of being happy has to do with building connection with
other peoples and recognizing their state in life, giving a helping hand when necessary. Practice
compassion if you want to be happy and others happy as well. Always try to see things not only
from your own point of view but others should be considered.

Always remember that happiness is a choice: always have it at the back of your mind that
nobody, nothing on this earth can give you happiness. Happiness is in you, it springs up from
the inner you. All you have to do is to find it, feel it and make use of it. Happiness is not all
about having a successful carrier or living a luxurious life, happiness cannot be determined or
measured by physical appearance of success. Happiness is a choice we make by ourselves, it is
the decision we take despite what life may bring. It comes on its own if only we can be true to
ourselves, live an upright life and always seek the face of God and do his will. Start it yourself
form the habit to always say to yourself, “I am happy to be me”.
Don’t let the sun go down on your anger: “in your anger do not sin”. Do not let the sun go
down while you are still angry [Eph4:26]. Self awareness and self control allows you to have
more choice about how to act when you are feeling an intense emotion like anger. That is
noticing what you are feeling, thinking, why and also think before you act. Underneath a
person’s anger there’s often another emotion, such as hurt or guilt. Putting your feelings in words
will allow you to explore and name these emotions. This helps lessen the intensity of those
feelings.

Exercise – going for a brisk walk – is a great way to work off anger. That is because physical
activity produces brain chemicals that can make a person feel better. When your anger is
fleeting, it is better to simply go to bed and let things go.

Simplify your life: learn to create a quieter, more balance space in your life, it helps immensely.
In order to make it happen, just take a little step. Focus on doing the few things you really love
rather than committing yourself in a lot of things you only kind of like. Look around do you
really need a lot of things like shoes, cloths, different make up, different phones, iPods, laptops,
the latest fashion? Etc. Try to eliminate all that is not necessary, get rid of things you don’t need,
simplify your relationship, get organized, learn to take time slow down and the little thing that
can help keep you reasonable .doing all these will help you breathe more easily and you will be
happier in life.

Stop insisting on having the best: know your capability try to improve your attitude in a
positive way, be happy with what you have; don’t be so obsessed over the nicest and most
amazing things you feel like having; because it is not possible for anyone to get all he or she
wants or desire. Simplify your objective in life and be happy with the things you have and can
afford. Don’t let anyone’s expectation of you put any pressure on you.

Take your time to make reasonable relationship: sound relationship is one of the most
important things in life which will help you feel lee alone and more able to deal with your
problems. Don’t try to give excuses or try to exempt yourself from social activities because no
one is too busy to have some sort of social life. Take time to make truly valuable memories and
have real conversation with the one you love.

Make time for yourself: have quality time for relaxation, make out time for recreation; which is
either spent watching television, listening to music, resting etc. treat yourself like you worth an
extra time, care for yourself, always remind yourself that you are so important and deserve to be
pampered a little bit and always feel better about your life. Do something that will give you
peace, love and joy with yourself. Nurture yourself; physically by exercising and eating healthy
food; nurture yourself emotionally by helping other in need, being creative and listening to music
etc; nurture yourself mentally by reading good books and you can nurture yourself spiritually by
praying, reflection and meditation.

Make major changes if necessary: never give any obstacle the opportunity to stand your way.
Try to figure out the things that are on the way of your happiness. If you can – fix it. Come up
with a plain on how to tackle it. If you are uninspired on the things you do, try to do something
new. Determine and promise yourself to be strong and never allow anything to disturb your
peace of mind. Make effort to be always positive; talk health, happiness and prosperity to every
person you come in contact with and make them feel that they are valued and special and be
enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. Always look at the sunny
side of everything and make your optimism come true. Make a promise to yourself to think only
the best, work only for the best, and expect the best. Make a strong promise to yourself to forget
the past and press on the greater achievement of the future. Always wear a friendly countenance
at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile. Avoid criticizing others rather try to
spend much time to improve yourself. God made you to be special acknowledge the divine
treasure you have, remember you are filled with the grace of God. Promise yourself to be too
large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of
trouble.

Give a helping hand: try as much as you can to improve the life of others – by rendering help to
those in need of it. The little you offer can make a big difference in someone’s life. Help
someone in distress, and you lighten your own burden. The joy of alleviating the sorrow of
another is the lessening of one’s own. If we dig someone else out of a hole, we get out of the
hole we are in.

Love yourself: know yourself, define who you really are and find out what makes you happy. If
you can sincerely and accurately do this, it will go a long way to help you love yourself and
appreciate every little thing about your life. You have love yourself before you can love others
because love radiates from inside. Loving yourself is the most important part of enjoying and
getting the most out of life. Loving yourself is mainly having self respect which is the only
dependable way to create love in your own life. Listen to your own feeling; when you ignore
your feelings, your inner child feels rejected, abandoned and unloved by you. Be compassionate
with your feelings; when you judge your feelings, telling yourself you are wrong for having
them, your inner child feel rejected and abandoned by you. If you are kind, gentle, tender,
understanding, and accepting your feelings, your inner child will feel loved by you. Open to
learning about what your feelings are telling you; all feelings have information. Your inner child
will feel loved when you explore what your feelings are telling you. Just as physical pain alert
you to a problem that needs attention, so does emotional pain. Compassionately attending to your
feelings, learning what they are telling you, and then taking action to remedy the situation, will
make you feel loved.
Love is not the feeling we generate from our mind. It only comes from the heart, when our heart
is opened to our source of love. When in your higher power of learning, you open yourself to
learn about loving yourself and others, love flows into your heart and you feel loved. Learning
to love yourself is what fills you with love.

Choose to be around responsible and loving people: to feel love and content, make the choice
to be around caring, supportive and accepting people. Surround yourself with people of good
influence. They will teach you how to embrace life, how to tackle difficulties and lead you to the
different ways to face life and attain happiness. If you engage yourself with judgmental, abusive
and unkind people, the message you are sending to yourself is that you are worth being loved.

Don’t gossip: avoid gossip it is incredible harmful for you and affects others too. It only feels
you with venom and makes people lose trust in you. Try to limit your gossip tendencies as well
as not engaging in gossip with other people. Before giving out an information, consider the
effect of the information by asking yourself this questions; is what I m about to say harmful in
any way?, am I giving out this information to make myself feel better or raise my statues? Is it
from the original source or here say? If you are gossiping because it puts you in the center of
attention, or boosts your ego, you need to stop it is very harmful. Always try to deflect any
situation that brings about gossip. Move away from negative gossiping and engage or focus on
positive things. Always see the positive aspect of others and say positive things about other.

Confront your personal problems: confront, analyze and think through your problems. Notice
your problem and look at it squarely, accept your problems and make a mental resolution t deal
with it. Try to understand why the problem troubles you, why are you getting hurt by it? Look
at the problem from all side and think it through. Try to take stock of your problem and face
them squarely in the eye rather than ignoring your issues or sweeping them under the carpet,
be courageous enough to confront your problems, analyze and work through your problems. If
you can in a positive attitude, confront, analyze and work through your problems, your sub-
conscious mind may throw up some real good solutions. This will make you feel better and help
you to move forward in life.

FIND PURPOSE IN LIFE

Every life should have a purpose to which it can give the energies of its mind and the
enthusiasms of its heart. That life without purpose will be prey to the perverted ways waiting
for the uncommitted life. – C. Neil Strait

Do not be careless of the virtues with which you have been endowed with nor neither be
neglectful of your high destiny. In life everything has its significance which is willfully achieved
and has nothing to do with materialism because it is influenced by the capacity of lesser and
greater purposes of the growth of human spirit.

Everything in existence has it purpose, for instance: the gravitational force purpose or
significance is to draw things together, allowing compositions to exist. While the stars purpose
or significance is to pour out light into the world and that of the seed is to allow the
perpetuation of organic life. Likewise, the organ in human body has it purpose and functions;
for example the function of the heart is to allow the flow of blood throughout the body.

Seeing that everything in existence has its purpose, functions and significance, man as the
greatest fruit of existence on the planet earth, has the unique privilege to comprehend the
world around him, and to willfully determine his action, and to willfully achieve his perfection,
and purpose of his existence.

Man purpose in life has nothing to do with materialism; although material progress is an aspect
of human life, it is not the purpose of human existence, and alone has never satisfied the
human spirit. Man has the greatest capacity in which the greatest goal and greatest purpose is
to know and recognize his creator and attain spiritual joy.

The reliable perspective of man survival are of two purpose; the lesser and the greater purpose.
At the lower perspective, the purpose of man is to survive, while the greater perspective, the
purpose of man is to care for and nurture his happiness, find his talent and contribute to the
welfare of his society as well as to attain the honour and joy of finding and loving his creator
and also, reflect the divine quality of God such as love, kindness, wisdom etc.

In other to be happy and contented in life and all life has to offer, man has to find meaning in
life which makes life worth living. And the meaning is found in man’s accomplishment of his
purpose in life which is being at peace with his creator.

“Set your heart first on the kingdom and justice of God, and all other things will be added unto
you” - Matthew 6:33 -

Our purpose in life is to strive to achieve the highest level of perfection and acquire all noble
virtues and characteristics which will enable our spirit to continue to progress because its
mysterious nature inclines toward the transcendence which reach towards an invincible realm
of the ultimate reality of the unknowable essence of essences call “God”.

Have a purpose in life and having it, throw into your work such strength of mind and muscle as
God has given you.

CLOSING WORD
When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.

When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light.

When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.

When something seems difficult, dare to do it anyway.

When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back.

When there seems to be no hope, dare to find some.

When you’re feeling tired, dare to keep going.

When times are tough, dare to be tougher.

When love hurts you, dare to love again.

When someone is hurting, dare to help them heal.

When another is lost, dare to help them find the way.

When a friend falls, dare to be the first to extend a hand.

When you cross paths with another, dare to make them smile.

When you feel great, dare to help someone else feel great too.
When the day has ended, dare to feel as you’ve done your best.

Dare to be the best you can –

At all times, Dare to be!”

― Steve Maraboli,