October 16

I have not slightest doubt concerning the truth and validity of immortality. I believe absolutely and certainly that, when you die, you will meet your loved ones and know them and be reunited with them, never to be separated again. I believe that identity of personality will continue in that greater sphere of life in which there will be no suffering or sorrow as we know them here in the physical sense. I hope there will be struggle, for struggle is good. Certainly there will be ongoing development, for life with no upward effort of the spirit would be incredibly dull. In the teachings of Jesus Christ, death does not refer to the body but rather to the soul: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:20). But the soul that is in God will live forever.

October 15

A young woman successfully achieved a considerable weight loss - here is what she did: She pictured explicitly the weight she wanted to reach by a certain age. Each time she was tempted, she estimated how long it would take her to eat the gooey desserts, chocolates, or other rich food. Then she thought how happy she would feel after those few minutes had she not eaten it. For the first time she began to experience the thrill of self-mastery. At bedtime, she ran over her temptations mentally and added up all the fattening things she had not eaten that day. Eagerly, she looked forward to topping her record the next day. She achieved her weight goal. And she held it, too.

October 14

It's good to keep our dreams of the future and the thrill of going somewhere ever luring us on. When I was a newspaper reporter, my editor wrote a piece I've kept for years:

"As a boy of fourteen I stopped Old Bess in the furrow where I was trying to cultivate my father's cornfield. The field was near the railroad track which crossed a trestle. I took off my cap, wiped my brow, and looked up at the fast train of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. At every window, as the train sped on, was someone going somewhere. I had never been anywhere, but then and there I made up my mind that someday I would be on my way. I have been on my way ever since, but there are still so many places to go, so many fascinating things to see and do. The train went around the bend. But the dreams of a boy, as the twilight came down, are the dreams I have today. The future beckons with the same mystic allure. It was so in the cornfield; it is so now."

October 13

A champion golfer says, "What you think while playing golf is probably the most important single part of your game." He stresses the importance of concentration and the practice of visualizing what you want to achieve. The champion confidently projects in his mind the exact direction of flight designed to take the ball where he wants it to go. This principle of imagining also works in determining and reaching goals in life. One must know precisely where he or she wants to go. By firmly visualizing that goal, you force a focus on it and then you can reach it.

October 12

Five words from the Bible can determine the success of any person or any enterprise: "Seek, and ye shall find" (Matthew 7:7). Seek a need - the world has many. Find a need you can fill and you are on the way to success in life.

October 11

How do you go about being a happy person? One way is to get into God's rhythm. The heavenly bodies are in rhythm. The internal system of blood and heart and organs are in rhythm. And rhythm is a kind of synonym of harmony, as harmony is one for joy. Therefore, when you are joyful you are in rhythm, and when you are in harmony with God, you are a happy person.