If I loaded all the books Randy Gorman recommended for me to read in my saddlebags, they would probably slow me down a full mile per hour. Randy is an upbeat guy with a can-do attitude and a trove of useful books, videos, and philosophies to stay on track as a businessman, a father, a Christian, and a worthy human being. “You have to have a positive attitude. Balance it with realism, but stay positive.”

There’s nothing preachy about the Auburn educated SAE who served cocktails on the outdoor deck on the late summer evening I stayed with Randy and his wife Cleo (a longtime friend of mine) and their daughter Ellie. Randy’s a jazz lover with a poetic spirit. “Jazz makes me wonder who we are. Cicadas remind me of summer.”

Randy’s had a variety of careers – banking, employee leasing, financial planning, and commercial insurance. Currently, he represents a national firm that provides energy and preservation tax credit and depreciation guidance for commercial properties. I don’t know where he finds time to work given the number of books he recommended to me. Fortunately, Cleo reminded him I travel light.

So, he started quoting his favorites directly. I had never heard the Optimist Creed. When he quoted it, I decided it describes Randy perfectly.

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

How will we live tomorrow?

“I’ve got a pretty good book you might like to take on your journey, A Man in the Mirror. It’s really good. Another is Half Time by Bob Buford. It’s you, it’s what you’ve done; a Biblically based book on how to apply yourself wherever you are.”