In the midst of struggles, opportunities exist. In today’s Wall Street melt down, so many of us are petrified of the future. With fear comes freezing and when we stop being pro-active, we stagnate and die.

As an eternal optimist, my glass is always more than half full. My daughter often reminds me that in order to enjoy the beauty of the rainbow we must have the rain. Simple, yet true. Tough times never last and good people do, so we need to concentrate on the good.

This past month has been a whirlwind of excitement and fun. In New York I met with colleague and good news broadcaster, Paul Sladkus, who seeks to find the positive in every day happenings. We shot a TV segment together to support positive outcomes while encouraging audiences to be the stars they were born to be. I traveled throughout the Caribbean giving lectures on the lives of pirates (alas, I did not run into Johnny Depp.) In Novato, I was honored to be a featured speaker at the Amazing Woman’s Day Celebration, founded by Marsh Engle, where I mingled and envisioned the possibilities with powerful focused women and a few good men on the move. One such man was Bud Bilanich, The Common Sense Guy, who will be a guest on our radio show on January 15. He shared with me The Optimist Creed, a positive belief system which has been framed on his wall since he was a boy.

Create your positive future with optimism and opportunities.

The Optimist Creed

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 to 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.

May you have a gratifying and grateful Thanksgiving filled with hope, love, and optimism.

 Cynthia Brian is the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are! ® charity. She is the New York Times best selling author of Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul, Be the Star You Are!, The Business of Show Business and Miracle Moments®. She is currently writing Be the Star You Are! for TEENS!

OUR MISSION:

BE THE STAR YOU ARE®! is a library of books and other media donated to youth at risk to raise their skills and self esteem to improve their daily lives.  This media ranges from education and advisement to inspiration and guidance which covers every aspect of life from abuse through money management.

BE THE STAR YOU ARE®! has no religious or political agendas or affiliations as it caters to the literate and illiterate by providing audio tapes and videos as well as books to give these kids a head start in their lives so they can beat the odds.

Link Swap

We have started a link swap to drive more traffic to everyone's site. The link swap is FREE and it's a SWAP meaning we’ll list your site if you’ll list ours.

If you are interested in swapping links, please send a request with LINK SWAP in the SUBJECT line to info@bethestaryouare.orgwith a short one line and your URL address that is in the format below :

"Be the Star You Are! charity, a 501 (c)(3) empowering families and youth at risk through literacy and positive media-www.bethestaryouare.org

Please do not send banners or graphics.  This is a FREE link swap.  Each  link will be evaluated and a return email will be sent acknowledging the  swap.  You must participate in a SWAP, so no one way streets. Let's create abundance for us all. This can help everyone as we are all different, unique, and a resource with gifts to share with the world.

Cynthia says: "THANK YOU to 5A Rent a Space for donating a storage unit for our books.www.5Aspace.com. If you are looking for a clean, safe place to store your goods, contact us so we can give you a referral to 5 A Rent a Space.  Or call them at direct at 925-631-7000."