Optimists extend tenets to live by

Everyday, thousands of dedicated volunteers stand before the Optimist Creed banner and recite the 10 tenets written by Christian D. Larson in 1912. The thoughts he expressed are as valid today as they were then.

Larson, the creator of "Promise Yourself," as it was originally known, was a writer, lecturer and publisher from Los Angeles, Calif.

Los Angeles-area Optimists found the literary jewel in several publications and began printing it in the club yearbooks. With so many California Optimists familiar with it, it was inevitable that it find its way to the Optimist Magazine, where it appeared for the first time in December 1921.

Promise Yourself -

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

Today Optimist members worldwide strive to live by this code of ethics. Many others have also found inspiration in The Optimist Creed.

In hospitals, the creed has been used to help patients recover from illness. In locker rooms, coaches have used it to motivate their players.

At the International Convention in Kansas City in 1922, the delegates adopted it as The Optimist Creed. Today it is distributed among young people, given out on the streets and sent in great numbers to remote corners of the globe where people are in need of a creed they can hold on to and live by. As Optimists, we say it at the end of every meeting.

For more information about the Brick Optimist Club email Jkienzlen@aol.com

Joe Kienzlen

Brick