“I went home，”he says，“and made sure that my insurance was all paid up，and then I apologised to my Maker for all my mistakes，and settled down to gloomy meditations.“I made everyone unhappy.My wife and family were miserable，and I was buried deep in depression myself.However，after a week of wallowing in self-pity，I said to myself：‘You’re acting like a fool！You may not die for a year yet，so why not try to be happy while you’re here？’
“I threw back my shoulders，put a smile on my face，and attempted to act as though everything were normal.I admit it was an effort at first—but I forced myself to be pleasant and cheerful；and this not only helped my family，but it also helped me.
“The first thing I knew，I began to feel better—almost as well as I pretended to feel！The improvement went on.And today—months after I was supposed to be in my grave—I am not only happy，well，and alive，but my blood pressure is down！I know one thing for certain：the doctor’s prediction would certainly have come true if I had gone on thinking ‘dying’thoughts of defeat.But I gave my body a chance to heal itself，by nothing in the world but a change of mental attitude！”
Let me ask you a question：If merely acting cheerful and thinking positive thoughts of health and courage can save this man’s life，why should you and I tolerate for one minute moreour minor glooms and depressions？Why make ourselves，and everyone around us，unhappy and blue，when it is possible for us to start creating happiness by merely acting cheerful？
Years ago，I read a little book that had a lasting and profound effect on my life.It was called As a Man Thinketh by James Lane Allen，and here’s what it said：
“A man will find that as he alters his thoughts towards things and other people，things and other people will alter towards him....Let a man radically alter his thoughts，and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life.Men do not attract that which they want，but that which they are....The divinity that shapes our ends is in ourselves.It is our very self....All that a man achieves is the direct result of his own thoughts....A man can only rise，conquer and achieve by lifting up his thoughts.He can only remain weak and abject and miserable by refusing to lift up his thoughts.”
According to the book of Genesis，the Creator gave man dominion over the whole wide earth.A mighty big present.But I am not interested in any such super-royal prerogatives.All I desire is dominion over myself—dominion over my thoughts；dominion over my fears；dominion over my mind and over my spirit.And the wonderful thing is that I know that I can attain this dominion to an astonishing degree，any time I want to，by merely controlling my actions—which in turn control my reactions.
So let us remember these words of William James：“Much of what we call Evil....can often be converted into a bracing and tonic good by a simple change of the sufferer’s inner attitude from one of fear to one of fight.”
Let’s fight for our happiness！
Let’s fight for our happiness by following a daily programme ofcheerful and constructive thinking.Here is such a programme.Itis entitled “Just for Today”.I found this programme so inspiring that I gave away hundreds of copies.It was written thirty-six years ago by the late Sibyl F.Partridge.If you and I follow it，we will eliminate most of our worries and increase immeasurably our portion of what the French call la joie de vivre.
Just For Today
1.Just for today I will be happy.This assumes that what Abraham Lincoln said is true，that “most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”Happiness is from within；it is not a matter of externals.
2.Just for today I will try to adjust myself to what is，and not try to adjust everything to my own desires.I will take my family，my business，and my luck as they come and fit myself to them.
3.Just for today I will take care of my body.I will exercise it，care for it，nourish it，not abuse it nor neglect it，so that it will be a perfect machine for my bidding.
4.Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind.I will learn something useful.I will not be a mental loafer.I will read something that requires effort，thought and concentration.
5.Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways：I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out.I will do at least two things I don’t want to do，as William James suggests，just for exercise.
6.Just for today I will be agreeable.I will look as well as I can，dress as becomingly as possible，talk low，act courteously，be liberal with praise，criticise not at all，nor find fault with anything and not try to regulate nor improve anyone.
7.Just for today I will try to live through this day only，not to tackle my whole life problem at once.I can do things for twelve hours that would appall me if I had to keep them up for a lifetime.
8.Just for today I will have a programme.I will write down what I expect to do every hour.I may not follow it exactly，but I will have it.It will eliminate two pests，hurry and indecision.
9.Just for today I will have a quiet half-hour all by myself and relax.In this half-hour sometimes I will think of God，so as to get a little more perspective into my life.
10.Just for today I will be unafraid，especially I will not be afraid to be happy，to enjoy what is beautiful，to love，and to believe that those I love，love me.
If we want to develop a mental attitude that will bring us peace and happiness，here is Rule 1：
Think and act cheerfully，and you will feel cheerful.
Chapter 43
The High Cost Of Getting Even