Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

A person with an outstanding attitude makes the best of it while he gets the worst of it. John c. Maxwell

It is truly inspirational when we read about people who have made the most of the worst situations. They were dealt hands we would never want and turn their life into something great. Wheelchair athletes come to mind, and it reminds each of us to focus on what we can do, not on what we can’t.

When one door closes another opens is something we’ve heard and it can empower us to not look back at our losses but instead look ahead to our opportunities.

I love listening to YouTube videos of old motivational speakers, Earl Nightingale, and Jim Rohn. Books by Florence Scovel Shinn and Neville Goddard are being read and posted on the internet. Are they better speakers or writers than the ones we have today? Many of our speakers today have looked at those speakers and writers and been inspired by them.

Yesterday the news said our school libraries are removing books written before 2008 from the shelves. This will mean children will not find any of the same books their parents read. Books written more than fifteen years ago are irrelevant, really. I believe we need to make room for new writers, but do we need to get rid of all great literature to replace it with what is recently written?

My interpretation of this process might be wrong, but how it was reported is sure to upset a lot of people. Of course, libraries cannot carry all the books, and they have to pick and choose what books are worthy of being in the library. I would hate to have to make that choice but that is what librarians are for, to put together a collection of books for their collection of students.

I’m not sure anyone’s life turns out exactly the way they imagine. All we can do it to try to make the best of it. Even when it seems impossible. Nicholas Sparks

It is easy to criticize, grumble, and think things aren’t going how we think they should. Announcements like that make us wonder who is making the decisions and why. We may be thinking they have motivations they don’t have, but published before 2008 does seem a little arbitrary. Maybe authors like me will have more opportunities to get our books into libraries. It never crossed my mind before, what book would have to be removed for mine to have room on the shelf.

Sometimes I still have to pinch myself that I have four books out into the world. That I accomplished a goal I’ve had since I was a little girl a goal for many years I barely breathed a word about, even to myself. Reaching our goals changes us, not because of the goal, but because of what it took to reach the goal. The hard work, discipline, persistence, dedication, and learning that goes into achieving a goal widens our horizons, we now know if we could attain that goal, we could also attain others. We could have done things we didn’t do, but we can also do things we haven’t done.

We realize that we have limited our life by the choices we have made, or we might have a bigger life than we ever thought possible. We can think that life is over as retirement looms, or we can think there is time for pursuits we haven’t pursued. How we look at what is left of our lives will determine our future.

Harnessing our minds is what we are told is required to live a great life, but minds are not easy to harness or control. Criticism and grumbling come easier than gratitude and speaking a blessing. Is what we think, and what we say building or destroying our lives? Is it easier to think everything is being done to us, than to think that out of what we have we can make something great?

Whatever life may send your way – make the best of it. Don’t waste your time and energy worrying about it. Instead, find a way to do something about it. Learn from it, adjust to it, be strong, be flexible and be your best in every situation. Les Brown

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. Art Linkletter

If you can stay positive in a negative situation, you win. Anonymous

Thank you for reading this post. Please come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.