Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.

And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises…
was oftentimes filled with your tears.

And how else can it be?

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, 
the more joy you can contain.

Is not the cup that holds your wine 
the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?

And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, 
the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

When you are joyous, 
look deep into your heart and you shall find…
it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.

When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, 
and you shall see that in truth 
you are weeping for that which has been your delight. 

Some of you say, "Joy is greater thar sorrow…" 
and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."

But I say unto you, they are inseparable.

Together they come. 

And when one sits, alone with you at your board, 
remember that the other is asleep upon your bed. 

Verily…

You are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.

Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.

When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, 
needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

"On Joy and Sorrow" by Kahlil Gibran​

Oscar Wilde, an Irish playwright, poet, and author, is often quoted as saying...

“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.”  

• What are some of your best-known quotes?
• Better yet, which of “those people” are you?
• Do you cause happiness when coming or going?

 
If you don’t know the answer to this question, you might be in denial… or the answer could be along the lines of “You cause happiness whenever you go.”
 
Beginning today, you can change everything.
 
               How?
 
Simply become a positive information exchange!
 
               How?
 
Make it your specific mission to share only the best possible news with your friends, family, and anyone else who has the pleasure of sharing the same intersection of space and time with you.
 
               Why do this?
 
The world is filled with negative people, nasty news, and not-so-good stories about life.  Every time you see another person, you have an opportunity to literally change their world.  

So if you really want to find happiness, create it at every single opportunity… no matter where you are or whom you’re with.  There, you will find it.
 
When presented with the simple advice to “give happiness,” many people say they are afraid of what other people might say, think, or do.  Such concerns are made up of a made-up thing called fear.  

And the best way to deal with fear is with another made-up entity called faith.
 
Everything in life requires faith.  

This small statement of truth is profound on a level that most people simply do not understand.  Every single act that you do daily… is an act of faith.
 
We have faith the sun will rise next Tuesday.  We have faith that the grocery store will be open… especially when we need that store to be open.
 
We have faith that our cousins, brothers, sisters, and all our other relatives will grow old with us.  

We have faith that the government will be intact when the worst possible things occur.

We have faith that our personal interpretation of the facts is an accurate representation of reality.
 
And, in one way or another, we have faith that the worst-case scenario (whatever it is) will either…

1. not occur;
2. not occur to us; or…
3. …if it does occur to us, we can somehow, someway get past it. 

Indeed, everything in life requires faith.
 
No matter what has happened; no matter what will happen, our situation is not an end, but rather a whole new beginning.  
 
And with a little (more) faith and a (lot more) focus on the positive aspects of life, we can achieve the best, most awesome, wonderful thing in the world.  

​We can achieve something called The Ideal.  
 
But first, we must choose to accept one simple methodology for life.  
 
We must choose to…

​John H. Clark III is an optimistic realist.
 
He believes better development of leaders is what we (all) need.  And to be better organizations, we need more good leaders, not followers. To build better leaders, we must start with the individual (you, she, he, and me).
 
Described as “an innovative leader,” John teaches leaders, organizations, and individuals how to inspire each other. With a bold goal to inspire a worldwide community of optimistic realists who continuously accept, adapt to, and achieve the bold and beautiful concept of The Ideal Life, John is leading a movement to inspire people to apply his trademarked mantra {Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®}.
 
An innovative business manager and retired naval officer, John is fascinated by leaders and organizations that make the greatest impact within their organizational culture and within the “real” world — people who “get it.” Over the course of his life as a military leader, corporate mentor, and innovative content creator, John has discovered a wealth of insight about how we think, act and communicate within our respective work/life environments. As a career naval officer, mentor, educator, and optimistic realist, he has devoted his life to sharing insights to assist in our quests to become better at what we all do – live @ work!
 
An optimist with a penchant for writing about realistic solutions to the challenges of everyday life, John is the author of 3 books: a leadership-development insider, "The Ideal: Your guide to An Ideal Life," a teen-focused guide, "Getting Out: Expert Advice for Today’s Teens," and the Christian-based book, "God’s Heartbeat: A Powerful Premise for Leading a Christian Life."
 
He delivers a unique and refreshing point of view to life's seemingly overwhelming situations. 
 
Through books, blogs, and everyday conversation, John's message resonates with an empowering blend of ideals that enrich, uplift, and “authorize” people to set and achieve goals far beyond current mindsets.  He reminds us all that...

In 1968, 9-1-1 became the national emergency telephone number in the United States. 
 
In was theorized that calling one well-known number was the best path to providing immediate access to police, fire and ambulance services. 1
 
When you think about it, the 9-1-1 concept is a simple-but-powerful tool for not only emergency management officials, but also for you, me, and anyone else who wants the security of immediate access to police, fire and ambulance services.  
 
Likewise, the concept of accepting, adapting, and achieving our everyday goals is also simple.  
 
But can it be considered “powerful?”
 
Yes: It is very powerful.
 
We can always talk about what we will do if this, that, or the other happens (when we are properly prepared and have the right tools). 
 
We can forever chant platitudes while sitting in a cozy prayer room, standing in a magic meditation closet, or kneeling at the altar of a safe and secure church.
 
However, our toughest battles don’t occur in the convenient confines of cozy rooms, comfy closets, or cherished churches.  
 
Our toughest battles usually occur when we least expect it:
 
                                NOW!
 
To face our toughest battles, we need a mantra:
 
                  Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ®
 
Similar to having one well-known telephone number for immediate access to police, fire and ambulance services, we need one well-known mantra for immediate access to a reminder that we are able to respond ideally to almost anything.  
 
But first, we must accept what is.
 
Each and every minute of every day, as we seek the best path along our unknown journey in life, we must increase our appreciation for the twists and turns we inevitably encounter along the way.   
 
And just like our physical journey… we can’t simply give up when we encounter washed-out roads or burned-out bridges.  We can’t simply give up when we face changes to our planned path, and the road ahead appears hopelessly blocked. 
 
But sometimes we mortals need a little boost of power to help us believe and eventually see the path awaiting our presence on the other side of the troubled horizon.  
 
Sometimes we need a subtle reminder to help us acquire the faith to know a bend in the road is not the end of the road unless we fail to make the all-important turn!
​

​John H. Clark III is an optimistic realist.
 
He believes better development of leaders is what we (all) need.  And to be better organizations, we need more good leaders, not followers. To build better leaders, we must start with the individual (you, she, he, and me).
 
Described as “an innovative leader,” John teaches leaders, organizations, and individuals how to inspire each other. With a bold goal to inspire a worldwide community of optimistic realists who continuously accept, adapt to, and achieve the bold and beautiful concept of The Ideal Life, John is leading a movement to inspire people to apply his trademarked mantra {Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®}.
 
An innovative business manager and retired naval officer, John is fascinated by leaders and organizations that make the greatest impact within their organizational culture and within the “real” world — people who “get it.” Over the course of his life as a military leader, corporate mentor, and innovative content creator, John has discovered a wealth of insight about how we think, act and communicate within our respective work/life environments. As a career naval officer, mentor, educator, and optimistic realist, he has devoted his life to sharing insights to assist in our quests to become better at what we all do – live @ work!
 
An optimist with a penchant for writing about realistic solutions to the challenges of everyday life, John is the author of 3 books: a leadership-development insider, "The Ideal: Your guide to An Ideal Life," a teen-focused guide, "Getting Out: Expert Advice for Today’s Teens," and the Christian-based book, "God’s Heartbeat: A Powerful Premise for Leading a Christian Life."
 
He delivers a unique and refreshing point of view to life's seemingly overwhelming situations. 
 
Through books, blogs, and everyday conversation, John's message resonates with an empowering blend of ideals that enrich, uplift, and “authorize” people to set and achieve goals far beyond current mindsets.  His trademarked phrase is a winner: