You are living well when . . .
. . . You let go of the past, enjoy the present, and face the future with faith.
. . . You focus on your responsibilities instead of your rights.
. . . You map your course thoughtfully, knowing that reputation is easier retained than recovered.
. . . You don’t do it if you feel a need to hide it.
. . . You cultivate conscience, certain that there is no right way to do a wrong thing.
. . . You “trust in the Lord with all your heart” (Prv 3:5).
. . . You remember that nothing big ever results from being little.
. . . You “treat others as you want them to treat you” (Lk 6:31).
. . . You “look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil 2:4).
. . . You nourish your faith, confident that when you feed faith, fear starves.
. . . You avoid procrastination, aware that you never finish what you never start.
. . . You embrace today as a new beginning, mindful that yesterday died last night.
. . . You control your emotions, understanding that your mood is not determined by circumstances, but by how you react to circumstances.
. . . You realize that something needs to be done that won’t be done unless you do it.
. . . You live optimistically, assured that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all [you] ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within [you]” (Eph 3:20).
. . . You affirm that God has made you good at something, and live in confidence “that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Phil 1:6).
. . . You comprehend that happiness comes not from the goods you have, but from the good you do.
. . . You know that the greatest is not the one who is served, but the one who serves (Mt 20:26–27).
. . . You cultivate the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23).
. . . You understand that you can’t change everything you face, but that you can’t change anything until you face it.
. . . You jettison pessimism, realizing that negative thoughts never produce positive results.
. . . You don’t let a failure define you, refusing to allow “I failed” (an event) to become “I’m a failure” (an identity).
. . . You reject the impulse to let your attitudes and actions be dictated by the attitudes and actions of others.
. . . You don’t get so wrapped up in what you are against that no one knows what you are for.
. . . You refuse to poison today by worrying about tomorrow.
. . . You “cast all your anxiety on [God] because he cares for you” (1 Pt 5:7).
. . . You learn from the past, but turn thumbs down on letting it define your future.
Live well, my friend.