Accept yourself

Accept yourself not as you might wish to be but as you really are. You would like to have talent for people, but you are timid and restrained; you would like to catch a star in your hands, but you are a dwarf; you would like to be lord of your own worlds, but instead a baggage of sensual instincts and negativistic tendencies bring you misfortune.

Do not feel irritation against this, and do not feel depressed on their account, do not feel sad for anything. They will say that you are a statue of brick. I say you are an aurora and carillon, an architecture that only needs your understanding and welcome, your benevolence and tenderness to become a cathedral.

Be your own best friend; be happy because there is a legion hoping to participate in your light and your warmth, and they wait to be ignited with the brilliance of your happiness. We live life only once, you cannot afford to waste this unique opportunity. Fill your own house with harmony and the world is filled with joy. Remember that your existence is a celebration and your life is a privilege. With much care, cultivate daily the tree of happiness. When its blossoms flood your house with fragrance, all people of the world, even the fishes in the river, will dance for joy.

From the book “The Art of Being Happy” by Father Ignacio Larrañaga