Nicer than Nike

Everyone was so into the Nike slogan "Just Do It", which was coined by Dan Wieden  for a 1988 Nike ad campaign. It has been recognized as one of the top five ad slogans of the 20th century and was given a place in the Smithsonian .Wieden said he was inspired by the last words of Gary Gilmore before his execution for the murder of two people.(1) Ironic isn't it?

I like Mother Teresa's take on this philosophy better. It is said to have been based on part of "The Paradoxical Commandments" which was  written by Kent M. Keith in 1968 as part of a booklet for student leaders (2)

___________________________________________

 The version found written on the wall in 

Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta:

              People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.

                        Forgive them anyway.

            If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  

                        Be kind anyway.

            If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. 

                               Succeed anyway.

           If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. 

                        Be honest and sincere anyway.

            What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  

                        Create anyway.

            If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  

                         Be happy anyway.

            The good you do today, will often be forgotten. 

                           Do good anyway.

         Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  

                         Give your best anyway.

         In the final analysis, it is between you and God. 

                       It was never between you and them anyway.

     One way to be happier is to allow yourself to be inspired by people who are the change they want to see in the world. And then to try to do the same. At the end of a day in which you have practiced integrity of being (your inside not being ashamed of or misrepresented by your outside), you can go to sleep with a smile on your face. It isn't about being perfect at it, it's about understanding that it is something that must be practiced.

1." Nike, Inc". wikipedia.com. retrieved 12-29-2012

2."Mother Teresa: "Do It Anyway" The Prayer Foundation. http://prayerfoundation.org/mother_teresa_do_it_anyway.htm retrieved 12-29-2012

Why am I happylady217?

       Ha! There are a few reasons really.

• Currently- I had to name this blog happylady217 because the other names I wanted to call it were already taken. (I've taken a white rabbit approach to entering the blogging world.***) 
•  happylady 217 is the main part of each of my email addresses. Again, you ask why. 
• On February 17, 1980 something happened that changed my life forever and enabled the meaning of my actual given name to become true.
•  My name =happy , noble lady. 

    You might be wondering what happened on February 17th, 1980. I'd like to tell  you! However,  if I answer all your questions in my first blog , why would you come back to read more?  And I want you to read more, because  I want to share with you the  secrets  I've learned to living happily .

  There are some seeds of truth in fairy tales and one of them is living happily ever after.


                                                        

  ***  Not true exactly, I did try to start a blog in 2010 called walk 1000 miles or something like that. I had to stop because I moved to the Domincan Republic on the side of a mountain and also lost my pedometer. My goal was to walk 1000 miles in a year, I had no way to verify it and didn't want to lie. Plus, there wasn't always internet or electricity, but that is a whole other story....