The Paradoxical Commandments

I strongly recommend the book "Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments" by Kent M. Keith to everybody. When I first ran into some of these commandments, the reprint of them said they were from the children's home founded by Mother Theresa. Apparently they made their way around the world, but were originally written by Keith when he was a young man. It is so easy to lose heart in the face of people who criticize or attack you when you are trying to do good. Instead, return to this book and know that:

"If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway."

If you have dreams, those around you may tell you they are impossible or even stupid. I know. I felt that way in my own birth family. I had to disregard people I thought were close to me in order to become a creative person. Remember this other paradoxical commandment from Kent Keith:

"The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway."

Life is crazy. Follow your dreams. My first dream was to become a teacher, and I became one. It was the only dream that was easy for me. My second dream was to help launch high tech products and make a bunch of money, and I did that. My third dream was to become a published poet, and after more than a decade I have two full-length poetry collections to my name.

I'm now contemplating writing a novel. I'm scared, and I don't know if I can do it. But I'm trying to dream big. I wish the same for you.

Best wishes,

Karen