Having Fun Every Day Can Change the Course of Our Lives

Ten things are necessary to change the course of our lives. For happiness in this life, the first thing is a good digestion and the other nine--money; so at least it is said by our modern philosophers. Yet the author of "A Gentle Life" speaks more truly in saying that the Divine creation includes thousands of superfluous joys which are totally unnecessary to the bare support of life. We are happy when we have learned to extract happiness not from ideal conditions, but from the actual ones about us.

When we have mastered this secret, we will not wait for ideal surroundings; we will not wait until next year, next decade, until we get rich, until we can travel abroad, until we can afford to surround ourselves with works of the great masters; but we will make the most out of life today, where we are.

Paradise is here or nowhere: we must take our joy with us or we will never find it. It is after business hours, not in them, that we break down. We must turn the key on business when we leave it and at once unlock the doors of some wholesome recreation to re-energize.

Humor was Lincoln's life-preserver, as it has been for thousands of others. "If it were not for this," he used to say, "I should die." His jests and quaint stories lighted the gloom of dark hours of national peril.

"Next to virtue," said Agnes Strickland, "the fun in this world is what we can least spare."

"When the harness is off," said Judge Haliburton, "a critter likes to kick up his heels."

"I have fun from morning till night," said the editor Charles A. Dana to a friend who was growing prematurely old.

Do you read novels, play sports and walk a great deal? Gladstone early formed a habit of looking on the bright side of things and never lost a moment's sleep by worrying about public business. There are many outdoor sports and the very presence of nature is to many a great joy. How true it is that, if we are cheerful and contented, all nature smiles with us--the air seems more balmy, the sky more clear, the earth has a brighter green, the trees have a richer foliage, the flowers are more fragrant, the birds sing more sweetly, and the sun, moon, and stars all appear more beautiful.

It is a grand thing to live--to open the eyes in the morning and look out upon the world, to drink in the pure air and enjoy the sweet sunshine, to feel the pulse bound, and the being thrill with the consciousness of strength and power in every nerve; it is a good thing simply to be alive, and it is a good world we live in, despite the abuse we are fond of giving it.

Changing the way we prospect for joy can change the course of our lives. We are being wise when we can see what we can daily discover, training our eye to see beauty in everything and everywhere. "One ought, every day," says Goethe, "at least to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words." And if this be good for one's self, why not try the song, the poem, the picture, and the good words, on someone else? Shall music and poetry die out of us while we are struggling for that which can never enrich the character, nor add to the soul's worth? Shall a disciplined imagination fill the mind with beautiful pictures? Those who have intellectual resources to fall back upon will not lack for daily wholesome recreation.

A well-balanced life is a cheerful life; a happy union of fine qualities and unruffled temper, a clear judgment, and well-proportioned faculties. In a corner of his desk, Lincoln kept a copy of the latest humorous work; and it was frequently his habit, when fatigued, annoyed, or depressed, to take this up, and read a chapter with great relief.

Clean, sensible wit, or sheer nonsense--anything to provoke mirth and make a man jollier--this, too, is a gift from Heaven. In the world of books, what is grand and inspiring may easily become a part of everyone's life. A fondness for good literature, for good fiction, for travel, for history, and for biography--what is better than this to change the course of our lives?

Submitted by Amelia Johnson

Amelia Johnson, Life Style Mentor and Successful Entrepreneur, is helping many become the next success story. Whether you're looking to create an extra few thousand dollars per month, be an ex-corporate executive, or the next millionaire Mom, Debra can assist you to create a second stream of income and greater peace of mind. visit : Success