I Used To Pray For Times Like This
I used to pray for times like this, but now I’m just grateful when they come around. When I was a kid, my father gave me some advice that changed everything: ‘Make people happy. That’s what’s important.’ He was an amazing doctor who devoted his life to helping others. And yet he always kept his sense of humor and enjoyed himself along the way — which is something we should all aspire to do!
Nowhere in there did we say “You’ll notice words like ‘I used to pray’ or ‘My father gave me some advice.'” We didn’t need them because they were already implied in the rest of the text.
As I was walking out the door to my very first day of second grade in P.S. 128 in Brooklyn, New York, my father stopped me.
As I was walking out the door to my very first day of second grade in P.S. 128 in Brooklyn, New York, my father stopped me. He handed me a card from the bank of joy with $5 on it and told me: “Go have fun with everything you do today!”
He went on to say that by making others happy, you will become happy yourself. He encouraged me to take some time every day for myself so I could figure out what made me happy. Lastly he said that it’s important not only for us as children but also as adults to find what makes us uniquely special; otherwise we risk becoming just like everyone else and losing our uniqueness along the way!
He told me the most important thing a person could ever do was to make people happy. He said that was the reason he had become a doctor, and why I should do what I loved and try my best to make people happy through my work.
- He told me the most important thing a person could ever do was to make people happy. He said that was the reason he had become a doctor, and why I should do what I loved and try my best to make people happy through my work.
- My father’s advice has stuck with me my whole life. It’s not always easy to make others happy, but when you can help someone in need or just brighten up their day by being kind, it makes all the difference in their lives—and yours as well!
He gave me this card from the Bank of Joy that said ‘Charge it!’
You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be fulfilled. You deserve to be in a relationship that makes you feel alive and excited about the future.
If you’re not yet in one of those relationships, take action! Don’t waste another minute waiting for someone else to bring you happiness—you can do it yourself with these tips:
- Give yourself permission to have fun! It doesn’t matter if it’s just a night out with friends or an impromptu trip somewhere new; do what makes your heart sing and fills up your soul with joy, because when we’re happy we attract like-minded individuals into our lives more easily than when we are sad or fearful.
- Don’t be afraid of asking for help! Whether it’s asking a friend out on a date (in which case they will likely say yes) or asking for advice on how best to approach someone at work who needs your assistance (maybe even pay them if need be), don’t let fear keep you from taking action toward getting what it is that YOU want and need from life because by doing so all that happens is that others get what THEY want instead and at YOUR expense!
He encouraged me to have fun with it. ‘Have a free spirit,’ he said. ‘Always keep your sense of humor.’ And he told me to take some time every day for myself and figure out what made me happy.
I was inspired by his words, but I also found them to be pretty intimidating. How could I keep my sense of humor when he had been so strong? And how would I know what made me happy if I didn’t spend time figuring it out?
I thought about this as I went to bed that night and there was an idea in my head that kept repeating itself over and over again: “Have fun with the process!”
This became my mantra for the next couple of weeks as we prepared for our trip to Disney World.
For 50 years since then, those words have been fulfilled in unimaginable ways as everything from my books to my work with children’s charities has brought joy to millions of people around the world — including ME!
When you’re in the midst of a difficult situation and all you can do is pray, it’s okay to be angry and frustrated. Anger is natural when things don’t go your way.
But as soon as you feel better, pick yourself up and move forward with optimism, peace and happiness. If you were to die tomorrow, what would make YOU happy? What would make YOU laugh? What are some things that would bring joy into your life?
Well, guess what? There are people out there who need those things too! They need me to be happy so that they can be happy too! And if I’m not doing those things myself yet… Well then maybe I should try harder next time around.
When you find yourself working hard and feeling frustrated, remember why you started doing that thing in the first place, then give yourself permission to laugh and enjoy yourself more.
When you find yourself working hard and feeling frustrated, remember why you started doing that thing in the first place. Then give yourself permission to laugh and enjoy yourself more.
You’ve got this!
This brings me back to a question I asked myself earlier today: Is it possible that the world has changed so much that faith no longer has any place in our lives? The answer is NO! Humans have always had a deep need for spiritual connection, and as long as there are people on this earth who feel that need and want to fulfill it through prayer, there will be plenty of opportunity for them to do so.