Every Day a Friday: How to Be Happier 7 Days a Week by Joel Osteen

love. Take time for the people God has given you. Look around at all the incredible blessings He’s placed in your life.
    Moses prayed to God: “Teach us to number our days” (Psalm 90:12 NKJV ). He was saying, “God, help us to realize that every day is a gift. Help us to deal with stress and everyday challenges while still appreciating the gift of each and every day.”
    Let me ask you: If you had only an hour to live, who would you call? What would you say? And what are you waiting for?
    Don’t take for granted the people God has put in your life. They won’t always be here. You and I will not always be here. Yet sometimes we act and live as if we’re invincible. But life is like a vapor. We’re here one moment and gone the next. I heard somebody put it like this: “We forget how fragile life is. We wait for Thanksgiving to give thanks. We wait for Christmas to give gifts. We wait for Valentine’s Day to show love to those we hold dear. We say to ourselves,
Today is just an ordinary day.
So we wait, and while we wait the clock ticks. Precious moments pass by. But in reality there is no such thing as an ordinary day.”
    Every day is a gift, unique and irreplaceable. Its hours may be used or misused, invested or wasted. God, teach us to number our days.
    My prayer is that you will keep the right perspective, focusing on the good, not taking things for granted, and recognizing that every day is unique and irreplaceable. Slow down and appreciate what God has given you. Be thankful for the simple things, even the fact that you can scratch your own itch. Hug your children every day. Take time for the people you love. Find some reason to be grateful.
    God promises that when you praise you’ll be raised.
    Look at what’s right, not what’s wrong. Remember, the seeds of discouragement cannot take root in a grateful heart. If you’ll keep the right perspective and like David continually give praise, God promises that when you praise you’ll be raised. He’ll pour out His blessings and favor!

Know What to Ignore
    N ot long ago, a reporter asked me what I thought about two men he named. I said I didn’t know who they were and I had never heard of them. The reporter laughed and laughed. He thought that was so funny.
    “Well, who are they?” I asked.
    “They are your two most outspoken critics,” he said. “They’re always talking about you.”
    He couldn’t believe that I had never heard of them. But I’ve learned this principle: I don’t waste time engaging in conflicts that don’t matter to me. I’ve learned that the critics cannot keep me from my destiny. What they say about me doesn’t define who I am.
    Whatever your critics say about you has no bearing on your worth. You are a child of the Most High God. The Creator of the universe breathed life into you. You have seeds of greatness on the inside. You’ve been crowned with favor. God has already equipped and empowered you with everything you need. Don’t waste your valuable time trying to play up to people, trying to win over all your critics, or trying to prove to someone that you’re important.
    Accept the fact that some people will never celebrate you. They will never recognize your gifts. That’s okay. Don’t be distracted. God has already lined up the right people to celebrate you, the right people who will cheer you on and help you fulfill your destiny.
    If you want to live in victory, you have to be very careful with your timeand attention. You have to know what thoughts to ignore, what comments to ignore, and, I say this respectfully, what people to ignore.
    If someone at work is always on your nerves, making sarcastic comments, you could try to straighten them out, but you’d be wasting valuable time and energy that could be spent pursuing your dreams. Don’t be distracted. Ignore such people.
    If a family member never gives you any credit, either you can let that upset and frustrate you or you can dismiss it and say, “No big deal. I