The people
interviewed shared in one sentence or less, the secret to a fulfilling and
happy life. In some cases, they went over the one-sentence limit, but putting a
lifetime in one sentence isn’t easy.
Here are some selected secrets to life:
There are ten-minute
funeral lines and ten-hour funeral lines. Live your life so that when you die
people will want to stay and tell stories about the kind of life you lived and
how you touched them. – Ken Krambeer, town barber
Recognize that you
are born with the capacity to be in the world and not dependent on the
circumstance in which you find yourself; don’t take yourself seriously, don’t
get trapped by the ideas in your head; they are not the same as the reality. –
Donald Klein, psychologist
Don’t count on
cramming. I always told my students – if you follow your heart, leave a legacy,
and focus on what matters, it will be ok. – George Beer, physicist, retired
professor
Love someone deeply and be loved by someone deeply; be passionate
about yourself and your curiosity and exploration and really GO FOR IT. –
William Hawfield
In order to find a more
purposeful life you must let go of what society and people think of you and
look inside yourself through some discipline – prayer, meditation – to find out
what matters most to you and pursue it. – James Autry, poet and author
If you are unhappy,
get busy doing something for someone else. If you concentrate on yourself you
will be unhappy, but if you focus on helping others you will find happiness.
Happiness comes from serving and loving. – Juana Bordas, author
Banish the word
“boredom” from your vocabulary, and wherever you are make the most of that
moment because you won’t get it back. – Max Wyman
Kneel down and kiss the
earth, be thankful that you exist, love yourself and those around you, and
enjoy the hell out of being alive. – Craig Neal
Remember you are part
of something larger than yourself. – Anthony Holland, actor
Find your passion
and pursue it. – Lea Williams, author and educator
Find something you
love doing and make it your career. – Paul Hersey, author
My mother told me “to
thine ownself be true”. It is an important advice and will pay huge dividends
if you learn what is true for yourself. Be true to what matters to you. This
requires reflection and you can’t think while watching The Simpsons. – Jim
Kouzes, author
Learn to love people,
because if you do, it will carry you to all kinds of places – see the good in
other people always. – John Boyd, painter
I cannot give one
sentence of advice to others because first I would have to know them, so I say
know yourself and know what you want to create in your life and hold that in
front of yourself ALWAYS. – Elsa Neuner
Eat healthy, be
physically active, invest your energy in making wherever you are a more just
and happy community. – William Gorden, professor of communication, activist
Always see the good
in people, and you won’t get hurt because everybody has so much goodness in
them. Don’t envy other people, because you have different gifts and blessings.
– Eileen Lindesay
Learn to step out of
the boat more. – Don
Live everyday for
what it is, don’t worry about what will happen, the next day will take care of
itself, what will be will be, learn to accept and wait for the next day to
happen. – Esther
dwell on the negative
in your life, bad things happen all the time, even in bad situations look for
the good and you will find it. – Rufus Riggs
Live your passion and
be of service to others. – Laura Lowe Get an education, find out who you are,
where you came from and where you want to go, and don’t forget who you are. –
Ralph Dick, native chief
You need to learn who
you are inside, figure out what your feelings are, understand that; the key to
self-knowledge. If you know who you are, then you are grounded throughout life.
If everything is a mystery to you, then you are going to be in trouble. – Mark
Sherkow
Don’t draw the
curtain too soon; there is always an encore or fourth act. – Joci James
Remember the Lord God
has His eyes on you and His hand on your shoulder. – Robin Brians
Know thyself and have
the courage to follow that. – Clive MARTIN