Stay out of the mud, dear ones. Be glad what life and individuals offer you. Never mind about what life and individuals do not offer you.

Lists of complaints are easy to find. Let it be just as easy to find lists that brighten your day. Start out your day with happiness. Start out all your days with what makes you happy.

What possesses you, dear ones, to make lists of why life is likely to be hard for you? What is this, your insistence in pointing out the likelihood why your life will be a struggle? Why would you ever want to frame Life in difficulties when you could frame life in ease?

The stock market is down. Employment is down. Costs are up. Times are hard. Opportunities are few and far between. Hmm. It seems to be that you exalt all the obstacles you can think of. Why on Earth would you want to exalt obstacles?

Something perverse in you may want to defend the cause of difficulties. What are you thinking of, beloveds, and why would you?

Why buy a lottery ticket and be sure to tell yourself that you will never win it? Why play the lottery and portray an inability to win it? Better to give yourself a good race for your money.

Why abet yourself in defeat? Why hammer nails into your own coffin?

Why not give yourself all the possible reasons for success?

It must be that you do not perceive how you hold yourself back or, at the least, slow yourself down.

Is it smart to acknowledge that the odds of your winning are slim? Somebody will win the lottery this week, why not you? Who are you to defeat yourself ahead of time? Never mind odds. All you need is one chance.

Whatever you would like to happen, why badmouth it?

Now don't proselytize the idea that I am encouraging you to gamble. I am making a point. Elevate your spirits. Negative thinking is not for you to defend.

Today let's say you are going to cross a busy street. Would you quote statistics on how likely it is that you could be run over while crossing the street?

Would you buy a car and make sure you keep in mind how many cars are predicted to turn out to be lemons for buyers this year? If you want to buy a lemon, keep thinking about cars that may be lemons.

If you are going to ask a woman for her hand in marriage, would you list beforehand you all the reasons why this woman might turn you down? For Heaven's sakes, the least you can do is to represent yourself on your own behalf.

Restaurants offer appetizers to get your digestive juices flowing. Restaurants do not offer you a menu of foods that might spoil your digestion.

When you are going to ask your boss for a raise, it makes no sense for you to prepare yourself for all the reasons your boss might find to refuse you, does it? How does that exactly make you smart in the ways of the world?

If you are working on inventing something, why on Earth would you think of all the reasons why you won't succeed at it? Do you want to succeed or not? Are you embracing failure or success? Whose side are you on anyway?

It can't be that you think you are impressing anyone because you are aware of all possible difficulties?

If you desire good health, consider good health instead of reading statistics on illnesses and the numbers of fatalities.

If you are looking for work, why talk about employment rates as being at an all-time low? How does this realism benefit you? Does it make you stronger? Why, beloveds, would you glue your feet to the ground before you even start?

If you are a farmer, is there someone who would advise you to predict a poor crop in order to produce a rich yield?