Is the storm coming or going?

The tides advance, the tides recede.  Winter goes and summer comes. Summer wanes and the cold increases.  The sun rises, the sun sets.  The moon is full, the moon is black. The birds arrive, the birds depart.  Flowers bloom, flowers fade.  Seeds are sewn, harvests are reaped.  All nature is a circle of moods and I am part of nature and so, like the tides, my mood will rise; my mood will fall.

Today I will be master of my emotions.

It is one of nature’s tricks, little understood, that each day I awaken with moods that have changed from yesterday.  Yesterday’s joy will become today’s sadness; yet today’s sadness will grow into tomorrow’s joy, from exultation to depression, from happiness to melancholy.  Like the flowers, today’s full bloom of joy will fade and wither into despondency.  Today’s sadness carry the seed of tomorrow’s joy.

Today I will be master of my emotions.

And how will I master these emotions?  Unless my mood is right the day will be a failure.  Trees and plants depend on the weather to flourish, but I make my own weather.  If I bring rain and gloom and darkness and pessimism to my people, then they will react with rain and gloom and darkness and pessimism.  If I bring joy and enthusiasm and brightness and laughter they will react with joy and enthusiasm and brightness and laughter and my weather will produce a harvest.

Today I will be master of my emotions.

And how will I master my emotions so that every day is a happy day and a productive one?  I will learn the secret of the ages:  Weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his actions; strong is he who forces his actions to control his thoughts.  Each day I will follow this plan before I am captured by the forces of sadness, self-pity and failure  – –

If I feel depressed I will sing.

If I feel ill I will double my labor.

If I feel fear I will plunge ahead.

If I feel inferior I will wear new garments.

If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice.

If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come.

If I feel incompetent I will remember past successes.

If I feel insignificant I will remember my goals.

Today I will be master of my emotions.

Henceforth, I will know that only those with inferior ability can always be at their best.  There will be days when I must constantly struggle against forces which would tear me down.  Those such as despair and sadness are simple to recognize but there are others which approach with a smile and a hand of friendship and they can also destroy me.  Against them too, I must never relinquish control – –

If I become overconfident I will recall my failures.

If I overindulge I will think of past hungers.

If I feel complacency I will remember my competition.

If I enjoy moments of greatness I will remember moments of shame.

If I feel all-powerful I will try to stop the wind.

If I attain great wealth I will remember one unfed mouth.

If I become overly proud I will remember a moment of weakness.

If I feel my skill is unmatched I will look at the stars.

Today I will be master of my emotions.

And with this new knowledge I will also understand and recognize the moods of him on whom I call.  I will make allowances for his anger and irritation of today for he knows not the secret of controlling his mind.  I can withstand his arrows and insults for now I know that tomorrow he will change and be a joy to approach.

No longer will I judge a man on one meeting.  This day he will not buy gold chariots for a penny, yet tomorrow he would exchange his home for a tree.

Today I will be master of my emotions.

I will recognize and identify the mystery of moods in all mankind, and in me.  From this moment I am prepared to control whatever personality awakes in me each day.  I will master my moods.

I will become master of myself and my emotions.

Thanks for reading today
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