Life is not a race

Donīt underline your worth
by comparing yourself to others.
It is because we are different
that each of us is special.

Donīt set goals by what
other people dream important.
Only you know what is best for you.

Donīt take for granted the things
closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life,
for without them life is meaningless.

Donīt let your life slip through your fingers
by living in the past or for the future.
By living your life one day at a time,
you live all the days of your life.

Donīt give up when you still
have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the
moment you stop trying.

Donīt be afraid to admit that you
are less than perfect.
It is this fragile thread that
binds us to each other.

Donīt be afraid to encounter risks.
It is by taking chances that we
learn how to be brave.

Donīt shut love out of your life
by saying itīs impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love
is to give love;
the fastest way to lose love
is to hold it too tightly;
and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Donīt dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams is to be without hope;
to be without hope is to be without purpose.

Donīt run through life so fast
that you forget not only where youīve been
but also where your going.
Life is not a race,
but a journey to be savored
each step of the way.

Every stormcloud in life
has a rainbow somewhere.
You just have to stand
in the right spot to see it.

Melanie Casey