“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”

One of the many gifts that we are able to share with others is a positive mental attitude. People who can hold their head high and believe in the world live more fulfilled, healthy, and happy lives.Every morning when we wake up, we have the choice of being positive or negative, happy or grumpy.

Every moment of every day, we have that choice. Each time we encounter someone, we have the ability to choose how we react to them. Happiness and fulfilled living lie within these choices.Likewise, we will run into people throughout our lives who we do not understand, would like to change or help, but are resistant. Our own peace of mind can be found in the knowledge that we have the choice of how to interact with these people. It is not our job to try to change or control their behavior: It’s only our job to choose our response to them.

The Serenity Prayer has brought hope, encouragement, and peace to people for decades. If you do not know it by heart, memorize it now. Recall it when you are faced with the question of how to respond in a trying situation.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.