(7)  Your Future            1   2   3   4   5   6   7 

Don't waste time in resentment and "if only", or wallow in being deliciously miserable.  Stop going over hurts and insults in your mind, like picking at a scab so the sore doesn't heal.  This is a big waste of time and holds you back.  Forgive, and then if you can, forget.

Most of all, enjoy everything, have fun when you can, and be thankful for what you have.  Most of the girls and boys your age around the world have much, much  less now than you do, and little hope for their futures.  This doesn't mean you have no right to be angry, unhappy or disappointed.  You do have that right, of course, and need to recognize and respect those feelings.  It helps, however, to keep it in perspective: "I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet."

Read history, or if that's too boring, historical novels - adventure, romance, fantasy or whatever.  Knowing how difficult life has been in the past helps you over the rough spots in present times.  Nor will you be as surprised when tragedies strike, nor as dismayed by tough times that will happen. 

Oprah Winfrey, who is probably one of the smarter and more influential women in the world today, says we should all keep a diary and write down every night at bedtime at least one thing we were thankful for that day.  I try to do that myself, and it has helped my outlook a whole lot.

Never doubt that you are here for a purpose.  We are all here for a reason.  You need to learn, think, and eventually find out what your God-given purpose is, and then do what you are intended to do.

This I have believed all my life, and it has been more help to me than you can ever imagine; God will not allow use to have burdens that we cannot bear.  The secret of dealing with it is to learn from those problems and accept that you have been allowed to have them for a reason.

Please keep these notes and read them over once in a while.  While you may not agree with all of it, or accept all of it, or understand it all right now, surely some of it will be a help to you on your journey through the next few years.  Take a look at it again when things seem dark, dreary or hopeless!

End of lecture. I bet you're glad!

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