The Optimist's Creed

To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet.
To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of
others as I am about my own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the
greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile
to every living creature I meet.
To give so much time to improving myself that I
have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud word, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side,
so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

By Christian D. Larson


In my opinion, every schoolchild should be taught this along with one of my favorite books, How Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie. His life is one of the great American rags to riches stories. Here is some background on Dale Carnegie from Wikipedia.

Dale Breckenridge Carnegie (originally Carnagey until 1922 and possibly somewhat later) (November 24, 1888 – November 1, 1955) was an American writer and lecturer and the developer of famous courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking and interpersonal skills. Born in poverty on a farm in Missouri, he was the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, first published in 1936, a massive bestseller that remains popular today. He also wrote a biography of Abraham Lincoln, titled Lincoln the Unknown, as well as several other books.
Carnegie was an early proponent of what is now called responsibility assumption, although this only appears minutely in his written work.[citation needed] One of the core ideas in his books is that it is possible to change other people's behavior by changing one's reaction to them.

Biography

Born in 1888 in Maryville, Missouri, Carnegie was a poor farmer's boy, the second son of James William Carnagey (b. Indiana, February 1852 – living 1910) and wife Amanda Elizabeth Harbison (b. Missouri, February 1858 – living 1910). [1] In his teens, though still having to get up at 4 a.m. every day to milk his parents' cows, he managed to get educated at the State Teacher's College in Warrensburg. His first job after college was selling correspondence courses to ranchers; then he moved on to selling bacon, soap and lard for Armour & Company. He was successful to the point of making his sales territory of South Omaha, Nebraska the national leader for the firm.[2]

After saving $500, Carnegie quit sales in 1911 in order to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a Chautauqua lecturer. He ended up instead attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, but found little success as an actor, though it is written that he played the role of Dr. Hartley in a road show of Polly of the Circus.[citation needed] When the production ended, he returned to New York, unemployed, nearly broke, and living at the YMCA on 125th Street. It was there that he got the idea to teach public speaking, and he persuaded the "Y" manager to allow him to instruct a class in return for 80% of the net proceeds. In his first session, he had run out of material; improvising, he suggested that students speak about "something that made them angry", and discovered that the technique made speakers unafraid to address a public audience. [3] From this 1912 debut, the Dale Carnegie Course evolved. Carnegie had tapped into the average American's desire to have more self-confidence, and by 1914, he was earning $500 - the equivalent of nearly $10,000 now - every week.

Perhaps one of Carnegie’s most successful marketing moves was to change the spelling of his last name from “Carnagey” to Carnegie, at a time when Andrew Carnegie (unrelated) was a widely revered and recognized name. By 1916, Dale was able to rent Carnegie Hall itself for a lecture to a packed house. [4]. Carnegie's first collection of his writings was Public Speaking: a Practical Course for Business Men (1926), later entitled Public Speaking and Influencing Men in Business (1932). His crowning achievement, however, was when Simon & Schuster published How to Win Friends and Influence People. The book was a bestseller from its debut in 1937, in its 17th printing within a few months. [5]. By the time of Carnegie's death, the book had sold five million copies in 31 languages, and there had been 450,000 graduates of his Dale Carnegie Institute [6] It has been stated in the book that he had critiqued over 150,000 speeches in his participation of the adult education movement of the time.

My Biography

I was born in Gainesville, Texas and raised in South Saint Paul, Minnesota from the age of 2 years old by my divorced mother. I went to public school and was confirmed in a conservative Lutheran church. Growing up as a "Latch Key" kid, I often got into trouble because I lacked a good father figure. I was so independent minded, I quit high school and joined the Air Force at the age of 17 just to be on my own. I was such "Hell on Wheels" so to speak, as trouble seemed to follow me.

While I was stationed at Travis AFB, in Fairfield, California, I witnessed John McCain and other POW's returning home. I also heard some of the strangest stories of combat overseas from other soldiers returning stateside.  While working in the motor pool, I took pilots to and from their planes and equipment to the mechanics on the flight line.  For many weeks, I noticed planes would come in from Guam, then "sniffer" dogs were sent through the barracks on base and drugs would be plentiful on the streets the next day.  One afternoon, a pilot in my van said to another that his plane was so loaded with contraband he barely got off the ground in Guam.  He mentioned something about Air America using company planes instead of his.  I naively reported this to my supervisor in the motor pool.  Two days later, my supervisor sent me out in a good ole California tule fog to send a high priority mechanical unit to the SAC mechanics on the other side of the runway.  I believe he knew that a plane was scheduled for a landing at that time.  What he did not know was that a three star general was on board that plane.  Being unable to see beyond two feet in front of me, I crossed the runway in the wrong place at the wrong time.  My blinking yellow safety light alerted the incoming pilot at the last moment and he aborted the landing.  I was arrested and jailed when I reached the other side of the runway.  While spending time in jail, I was offered a job running drugs for the Mafia by a fellow detainee.  I flatly refused knowing how ruthless the mob is.  Given my statements during a military inquiry, I was later offered a 39-12 general discharge and told never to set foot near a military base again. 

I then moved to Willits, Cailfornia where I lived from 1973 to 1977 with a brief stay in Portland, Oregon in 1976. While in Willits, I got married and worked in a lumber mill as a sawyer. In 1975, I walked in the door, took my GED test, and passed with flying colors. I later moved back to Gainesville, Texas in 1977 and stayed through 1980 to get to know family members. My Dad introduced me to the wonderful world of trucking then. He said it was like being on a paid vacation. Then I moved to Superior, Wisconsin to study solar energy with aspirations of continuing my education in the field of architecture at the U of M in Minneapolis. One of the things I learned was the Laws of thermodynamics. While going to school in Superior, I got involved with WNCB in Duluth, Minnesota and volunteered one night a week as a DJ. I moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1983 to pursue a career in broadcasting. I did some volunteer work for the local crisis counseling center and drove a cab. The rest you can see in my profile.

My Testimony

With my marriage failed and my job gone in Willits, I nearly died in a car wreck because a friend tried to drive me home from a stoner's Christmas party. I guess, at the time, you could have called me a neo hippie, motor head, good time Rock and Roll party animal, agnostic refugee from reality. In Ukiah, California, on Christmas eve, I broke down and wept. Laying in a hospital room looking like road kill, I had never felt so lost and alone. Some Christmas carolers had noticed me sobbing like a baby and thought I was in great pain. I can tell you the pain in my body was trivial compared to the torrent of hell in my soul.

A team of nurses soon came rushing in to see what was wrong. When the head nurse found that my discomfort was a spiritual matter, she told everyone to leave the room and proceeded to calm me down with her gentle bedside manner. She then left the room and informed the Christmas carolers that I was alright and just needed some TLC. To my absolute amazement, a woman and her two daughters came back with some gifts that they had purchased from the hospital gift shop. They started telling me about Jesus and His love. I could feel it emanating from them like the warmth of a fireplace on a cold Minnesota night. When they left, the head nurse came back with some books as a gift. They were paperback copies of Ben Hur and The Robe, along with a beautiful leather bound King James Bible. She told me more about the love of Jesus and then let me rest for the night.

The next morning, I woke up to look outside and see a most beautiful California sunrise. I was deeply moved by the love that was shown to me by people I had never met before in my life. I reached over and picked up the King James Bible. I caressed it's leather bound cover and marveled at how good it felt in my hands. I opened it up at random and immediately was drawn to the Beatitudes in the Book of Matthew. After reading the passages, I again felt the swell of emotions in my soul along with a powerfully strong presence of love in the room. I started to weep and asked God to forgive me of all the stupid things I have done in my life. I then asked God to make Himself more real to me and teach me His ways. Then the transformation took place.

I could feel His power coursing through my body like a pianist's hands flowing back and forth over a keyboard. Wave after wave melting away my pain and inner sorrow, I could feel my spirit being energized and freed of all burdens. Thus began my new life. I'm not saying that I became a perfect being from that point. I have had my trials and tribulations since then. I have danced my two steps forward and one step back over the years. They have only been a part of my spiritual strengthening like the old adage, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. There is one thing I cannot deny to this day. If it were not for my experiencing what I went through, facing death and encountering God, I would likely be dead, imprisoned, or a burnout like many of my stoner friends of the past are now today. Time after time, my experiences have taught me the truth of the old Proverb, "As a man thinketh, so is he."

Today

I am now 54 years old and have at least 50 years of stories to tell. I moved to southwestern Minnesota in 2002 to escape the rat race and start writing in a peaceful environment. I love it here because the people are friendly, the crime rate is very low, the air is clean and the nearby lakes are great for fishing. Like Dale Carnegie, I have never stopped seeking ways to improve myself. I now have an extensive and growing personal library. With my computer, I am now researching historical events and how people got through hard times in the past. I have also discovered things that have brought us to this place in time. I strongly feel that this nation is on the threshold of a renewal or rebirth as we have never seen before. Like the Doc said in Back To The Future 3, "Your future hasn't been written yet, so make it a good one!"

Growing Up

South Saint Paul, Minnesota was a very distinct immigrant town. Lovingly called “Cow Town,” it was the home of the second largest stockyards in the world, only outdone by Chicago at the time. It was home to thousands of bull haulers, meat packers, office workers, and their kids. Aside from the neighborhood bullies, people watched each other’s backs. There was a sense of each individual being an observer of life from a different perspective and a valued part of the community; the more diverse, the better. No matter what background we were from, we rejoiced in the fact that we were Americans.

I remember the days when we had prayer in school. We proudly recited the pledge of allegiance to our flag. The 10 Commandments (which the laws of the land were based on) hung on the wall of every classroom. Trust me, it did not kill us or warp our minds. Each day, a different pastor in our community came in and recited a little prayer for us. Those were the days when society did not just tolerate religion, they respected other people’s beliefs, whether they agreed with them or not. Even many atheists embraced the Bible as literature that marked the beginning of the age of reason. Those were also the days when chewing gum and running in the halls were the top student offenses. I can safely say the 60’s changed all that. Some for good. Much for worse. I will get into the reasons I say this later on.

Making Pain Our Gain

For, now I want to focus on one thing. We are a bitterly fractured society, lost in it’s own cacophony of political spin and outright propaganda. Most American’s are deeply in debt and one or two paychecks away from being homeless. We no longer value each other as fellow American citizens. Our political parties are a reflection of us. The Democrats tax and spend. The Republicans borrow and spend. Neither side is listening to the other.

Here’s a quote from Joe Lieberman’s speech at the GOP Convention in Minneapolis in 2008.

“Every day, across our country, millions of our fellow citizens are facing huge problems. They are worried about their homes, their jobs, and their businesses; they are worried about the outrageous cost of gas and of health insurance; and they are worried about the threats from our enemies abroad. But when they look to Washington, all too often they do not see their leaders coming together to tackle these problems. Instead they see Democrats and Republicans fighting each other, rather than fighting for the American people. Our founding fathers foresaw the danger of this kind of senseless partisanship. George Washington himself -- in his Farewell Address to our country -- warned that the "spirit of party" is "the worst enemy" of our democracy and "enfeebles" our government’s ability to do its job. George Washington was absolutely right. The sad truth is -- today we are living through his worst nightmare, in the capital city that bears his name.” Senator Joe Lieberman (I) CT September 02, 2008

I remember the Jimmy Carter years well. I have dusted off my 30 year old misery index and find that, right now, it’s not as bad as it was then. I rejoice in that. I remember when Ronald Reagan was elected, how optimism alone boosted the stock market before any legislation was passed. “It was morning in America!”

My point is this. If we start reading the Optimist’s Creed and putting it into practice, our attitudes will change our lives for the better. If we put Dale Carnegie’s principles into action, we actually might begin to respectfully listen to each other. If we put Biblical financial wisdom to work, we might actually have more money. If we pressure Congress to pass The Fair Tax Plan, the slavery of our currently imbalanced system will end.