The Secret to Happiness

I’ve been journaling for a long time. I’m the type that will journal ferociously for several months and then completely stop writing. A few months later, I finally pick up the habit,  and the cycle continues.

One of my favorite parts about journaling is reading back on past entries. It gives me a little glimpse into who I was back then and what was going through my mind.

I recently came across this little gem from when I was a teenager:

The secret to happiness by Jael Amador

1. Have faith: Believe, believe, believe!
2. Everyone is just as afraid as you are. So stop being afraid.
3. Ask for what you want. People hate saying no, and when they do, they usually offer a pretty good consolation prize.
4. When people take a chance on you, give them 110% because you will need them to bet on you again.
5. Walk around like you know stuff.
6. Go out and learn things. Little by little.
7. Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know *
8. You’re never done. That’s ok.
9. Give life meaning and purpose. The trick isn’t to find purpose but to create it. God didn’t make you passive; He whispers dreams and desires into your heart.
10. Know these two things for sure: You are loved, and God made you a fighter. So fight.

No Coincidences

I have to say that I was pretty impressed with my teenage self.

But mostly, I’ve marveled that there are no coincidences. I wonder if God smiled as I wrote that list so many years ago, knowing I would come across it today, just when I needed it.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (1 Peter 1:3, NIV).

If  you liked this, you might also enjoy Memory Triggers | If God Is the Cause, There Are No Coincidences 

Jael Amador writes from New York.

*Like with God. I don’t know everything there is to know about God. That doesn’t mean I don’t know Him, it just means I’m not done.

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