Be Happy – Accomplish Your Dreams (Part 49)

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. Remember tonight, for it is the beginning always. One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation. You have got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing. Consider keeping a daily journal. In it, keep up with the positive things that happen in your day. I have found that we all need a constant reminder that we are on course and gaining towards our goals, towards accomplishing our dreams. By having a way to see first hand that positive things are happening in our everyday life we can better stay focused on things that we want to accomplish.

The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. Actually, there are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from. Take the time to let your hair down a bit. Do not be afraid to try new things in your life. New experiences are at the root of our ability to expand our horizons. Continue to meet your old friends and try to expand your network. Around the corner I have a friend in this great city that has no end, yet the days go by and weeks rush on, and before I know it, a year is gone and I never see my old friend's face, for life is a swift and terrible race, he knows I like him just as well, as in the days when I rang his bell, and he rang mine. If, we were younger then, and now we are busy, tired men. Tired of playing a foolish game, tired of trying to make a name. "Tomorrow" I say "I will call on Jim" "Just to show that I'm thinking of him." But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes, and distance between us grows and grows. Around the corner! - yet miles away, "Here's a telegram sir-" "Jim died. today." And that's what we get and deserve in the end. Around the corner, a vanished friend. If you love someone, tell them. Remember always to say what you mean. Never be afraid to express yourself. Take this opportunity to tell someone what they mean to you. Seize the day and have no regrets. Most importantly, stay close to your friends and family, for they have helped make you the person that you are today and are what it's all about anyway.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his room-mate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Flowers of every color of the rainbow would flicker in the wind. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a circus passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the animals - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Then unexpectedly, a sinister thought entered his mind. Why should the other man alone experience all the pleasures of seeing everything while he himself never got to see anything? It didn't seem fair. At first thought the man felt ashamed. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and he found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - that thought, and only that thought now controlled his life. Late one night as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running in. In less than five minutes the coughing and choking stopped, along with that the sound of breathing. Now there was only silence—deathly silence.

The following morning the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take it away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window.

The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

You can interpret the story in any way you like. But one moral stands out: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have that money can't buy.

Be Happy – Accomplish Your Dreams by sharing your pleasures.