Sometimes when you place your trust in someone, you will be wrong, and there will be disastrous consequences. Yet as bad as that may be, it would be even worse to never trust at all.

Without trust, without faith, we are merely machines, disinterested and unable to truly invest ourselves in anything worthwhile. With no trust, the world is a cold, harsh and excruciatingly lonely place.

The best way to know when to trust and when not to trust is to be trustworthy yourself. Know what it is like to uphold the trust of others, and it will help you to understand whom you yourself can trust.

Some of the best and most valuable things you can experience do not come with a guarantee. Though it certainly pays to be careful, it also is important to be able to trust. Don't give your trust frivolously or irresponsibly, but do give it. For without trust, there is really nothing that is worth protecting.

*Special thanks to a very special friend for reminding my old braincell of this little life cookie

Well done Mum.

Excellent thoughts, Queen Mum... If I may, I would add this... Carrying hard feelings does more damage to the person carrying them than anyone can imagine. Much illness comes from unresolved anger. Letting go might just save your health in the long run.

Aye, Snowy

"Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory.
Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember.
We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future."
— Lewis B. Smedes

I wish more ppl would read and abide by what Snowy and Queen Mum posted. The world would be a much better place.

People love, value and honor a person of integrity. Integrity will bring true peace of mind to one's life, along with a quality and richness of living. A life of integrity is a life that is full of accomplishment and meaning.

In any situation, we have several choices. We can choose to do the easiest thing, or choose to do "what everybody else does", or we can choose to do the right thing. Integrity means doing the right thing every time.

Integrity is a passionate commitment to the truth, in what we do, what we say, and in our relationships with others. When we are true to ourselves, we cannot be false to anyone else.

Integrity means acting to make the world as much better as you possibly can. It means discovering your own unique set of skills and abilities, and using them to achieve maximum benefit for those around you. It means finding what you do best, and doing it with all the commitment and energy you can muster. There is no better path to success and accomplishment than this.

* RM , once again you pen the words of the heart so clearly, ty

Well said.

Courage Conquers Fear

Relative to the whole scheme of things, your life span could be compared to lighting a candle and immediately blowing it out. In other words, life is short - very short. Missing out on any of the joys life offers is a tragedy. If your life is being controlled by your fears, you are most certainly cheating yourself.

Courage is the mental muscle that conquers fear. Like all muscles, the more you use them the stronger they become. Courage is not something you are born with, it must be developed. Individuals who fail to develop courage, remain confined in mental prisons and face each day as mental lightweights.

It has been said if you face the thing you fear, fear leaves you.
For years I believed that courageous individuals had no fear. I was wrong. Eddie Richenbacher put it very well when he said, "There is no courage without fear." We all have fear, however, not everyone becomes subservient to their fears.

There is, very likely, something you have wanted to do for years - move to another city, start your own business, apply for that better position, go after the big account. Whatever it is you should do it. Remember, life is not a practice run. This is it. A little courage leads to more.

Observe those poor souls who are without courage. They merely tiptoe through life hoping they make it safely to death.

You and I were never meant to live that way. Learn to live the way you like by no longer living as you dislike. Forge into the remainder of your day with an abundance of courage. That's living!

Steps To Happiness ... Author Unknown

Everybody Knows:
You can't be all things to all people.
You can't do all things at once.
You can't do all things equally well.
You can't do all things better than everyone else.
Your humanity is showing just like everyone else's.

So:
You have to find out who you are, and be that.
You have to decide what comes first, and do that.
You have to discover your strengths, and use them.
You have to learn not to compete with others,
Because no one else is in the contest of *being you*.

Then:
You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness.
You will have learned to set priorities and make decisions.
You will have learned to live with your limitations.
You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due.
And you'll be a most vital mortal.

Dare To Believe:
That you are a wonderful, unique person.
That you are a once-in-all-history event.
That it's more than a right, it's your duty, to be who you are.
That life is not a problem to solve, but a gift to cherish.
And you'll be able to stay one up on what used to get you down.

Life is too precious to spend it being annoyed. The sooner you move past being annoyed, the better each moment will be.

If you find something annoying and it's something you can change, then quickly take the necessary steps to make it better. Redirect the negative energy of your annoyance into making a useful and positive contribution to life.

When something annoys you that you cannot do anything about, let yourself rise above it. There's no point in wasting your time and energy being concerned with it.

You can choose to be annoyed by something, and you can just as easily choose not to let it get to you. Annoyance is nothing more than a reaction, one that is under your complete control.

When you become annoyed, it distracts you and can cast everything in a negative light. Once your annoyance has gotten your attention, there is no good reason for it to continue. One way or another, quickly move whatever annoys you. Be free to focus on those good and valuable things that truly matter.
* RM, thanks again for all your help