BE FREE

  If you are quick to take offense,
  then you'll be under the control of those whom you find offensive.
  If you are easily angered,
  then your actions will be dictated by those who anger you.
  If you are obsessed by what other people think,
  then you will be imprisoned by their thoughts.

  If you yearn for easy answers and quick solutions,
  you'll fall prey to people who offer nothing but promises.
  If you find the truth too difficult to bear,
  you'll be enslaved to those who tell you what you want to hear.

  When you have the courage to think for yourself,
  the strength to accept what is,
  the commitment and discipline to make a difference,
  then you are free.
  You are truly free to live with purpose, joy and fulfillment.

  Let your life be defined not by your reactions
  to what others do, say or think, but rather by your own unique vision.

  Raise your eyes above the pettiness and follow
  the path of the greatness that is within you.

                                                          -- Ralph Marston --