A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else. - John Burroughs

A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.
- John Burroughs

Leap, and the net will appear.
- John Burroughs

If you think you can do it, you can.
- John Burroughs

A somebody was once a nobody who wanted to and did.
- John Burroughs

Today's affirmation: I accept that no one else has ever been to blame for either my joy or my suffering. The entire cause of all my joys and all my sufferings is my own emotional response to the events of my life.

*** Learn to live a stress-free life with my Regaining Your Happiness e-Training program.

*** Book of the Day: The Art of Seeing Things by John Burroughs

Further reading: Breaking the Cycle of Self-Inflicted Suffering

Stop Anger Before Anger Stops You: 7 Secrets to Cope With Anger

You are the Michelangelo of your own life. - Joe Vitale

You are the Michelangelo of your own life. The David that you are sculpting is you. And you do it with your thoughts.
- Joe Vitale

Stay in the moment and all gifts are added as you breathe and take inspired action.
- Joe Vitale

We have to let go of all blame, all attacking, all judging, to free our inner selves to attract what we say we want.
- Joe Vitale

*** Watch a video on the Power of the Subconscious with Natalie Ledwell describing the Four Crucial Steps to Success, an interview with Joe Vitale of The Secret, and an Introduction to MindMovies. Click on my short affiliate link below...
www.2jh.us/mm2

Why I Choose to Believe that Others are Never the Cause of My Unhappiness

I received a question about the message "FORGIVENESS - the second Point of Simply An Inspired Life." The simplified version of the question is, "I don't understand how you can believe that other people don't make you happy or unhappy."

Most everything in life is about our point-of-view rather than any absolute. If I say, "Judy makes me unhappy," that's neither true nor false. If I say that my happiness has nothing to do with Judy, that is also neither absolutely true nor false. If I say that I feel unhappy when I'm around Judy, that's a little more objective, but it doesn't address the question of cause.

So why is it important whether we blame other people for our unhappiness (or for our happiness)? It isn't because of philosophy or a need to ponder the meaning of life. It's purely practical. If I choose to believe that the behavior of others determines my happiness, I become a helpless tumbleweed, blown about by circumstances, with no apparent ability to direct my own life. However, if I choose to believe that I am in control of my life, then annoying people, like all other obstacles in life, become just stones in my path - a nuisance, but not a road block.

Whenever I choose to carry resentment and hatred, I am shouldering an immense burden that damages my happiness, and often my health. So what if my resentment and hatred are "justified," they only hurt me, not the person I resent.

The key point is that we do have a choice of how we view the various nuisances on our life path. One choice makes us slaves to circumstances, while the other empowers us and motivates us to follow our dreams - and our happiness.

Affirmations of an Inspired Life - Young-Adult Version

For the young adults in your life, this is a plain-spoken version of Eight Points of An Inspired Life - Keys to Happiness

1. I'm OK
2. I've Always Been OK
3. I Like Myself
4. I Think For Myself
5. I Have a Great Future
6. I Can Do Anything - Starting Right Now
7. This is Fun
8. Thank God

1. I'm OK - I'm alive and I have myself. My happiness does not depend on owning things, having money, or pleasing other people.

2. I've Always Been OK - Whenever I have been unhappy, it was because I blamed someone else, or myself, for something that happened. As soon as I stop blaming, and start forgiving everyone - others and myself - for everything, I begin to feel better about my past.

3. I Like Myself - I always do my best. Sometimes my best doesn't seem to be good enough, and I feel angry or afraid, or seem to have failed at what I tried. That's OK. My best is always good enough. I'm proud of myself and I like myself.

4. I Think For Myself - I CHOOSE to lead a happier life by gathering all the facts and making my own decisions. I choose NOT to "follow the crowd," and I choose NOT to just do what my friends do without thinking for myself.

5. I Have a Great Future - I welcome God into my mind and into my dreams. Whatever future I believe in, I can have, with God on my side.

6. I Can Do Anything - Starting Right Now. I have my dream, I have God, and I choose to move in the direction of my goal, even when I am afraid or unsure. Whenever I fall, I stand up, brush myself off, and keep moving toward my goal.

7. This is Fun - Life is like a party game. The rules of the game of life have never been clear, and they keep changing during the game. Forget winning or losing, and just have fun.

8. Thank God - I thank God for everything, and I trust God with my life.

Where there is no accusation of "fault," there can be no anger - jlh

Where there is no accusation of "fault," there can be no anger.
- jonathan lockwood huie

When I get angry, I am always angry AT someone - perhaps my friend or spouse, perhaps a stranger, perhaps the nameless "they" - "those people at the bank wronged me," perhaps God, or perhaps myself. In any case, when I get angry, I want to find someone to be "responsible" for what happened.

My window breaks. I want to know WHO broke my window. Who threw the rock, or who built the defective window, or who didn't prevent the hurricane or meteorite. America's penchant for filing law suits, along with untold misery, is built upon pandering to our instinct to blame someone whenever life doesn't occur as we prefer.

Life just happens - enjoy it anyway.