You are certain that no one, and certainly not you, would ever want to suffer. And yet there is something you get from suffering that seems to compensate for all your suffering. Have you ever felt: "Look at me. Look at how much I suffer. Look at me. Look at all this unfairness. Look at what happened to me. Look at what the world has done to me. Look at what God has allowed."

And so there is a ragged remnant of transmuted joy that you get out of suffering. It makes you a stand-out. Look, all the troubles of the world fell on you. That makes you noteworthy.

Of course, you don't want suffering to be the theme of your life. Change your tune. As much as you never would, you are making yourself a target. Have you perhaps thought or even made a speech something like this: "Look at what has befallen me. What ton of bricks am I going to be hit with next. Lightning does strike more than once. Always the bridesmaid and never the bride. If something terrible is going to happen, it happens to me."

The name of the song you sing may be: "Alas, poor me."

Formulate a new impression of yourself, to yourself and to the world. Say, "The world sings for me. Good fortune comes to me. The most wonderful things happen to me. Thank You, God."

Whatever your situation, good is on its way to you. Help it along.

What you feel is very often what you get. See your life as tragedy, and tragedy will find you. This is not an exact science, yet, by and large, this is the case. Yet, of course, into every life some rain will fall. In any case, start seeing yourself as blessed.

Yes, there is that about finding the good in everything. That has its place. Yet what I am asking of you is to draw the good to you. This is not the same as making demands. This is opening the front door for a welcome guest.

You may not have all immediate say in your life, and, yet, no matter how bedraggled you may feel, you have some say. At the very least, do not lie down in the middle of the road, waiting to be run over.

Again, I ask you to let go of past thinking, past themes, past moods, past convictions. Let go of the past. When you feel put upon, why would you hang on to it unless you like to feel put upon? No longer feel put upon. Be your own free-wheeling person. Get up and welcome love and beauty and so invite them to you.

There is no need for you to ask for mercy. Life is good, so why ask for mercy? No longer see yourself as a supplicant. See yourself as beloved and lucky. Walk in good fortune.

What are the ways that you have been fortunate? Think of your good fortune and let the rest go. Do not keep misery to you. Do not gather dark clouds. Be sunlight. Begin joy.

If you have been feeling miserable, you have been complicit in the act. No matter how innocent you are, how complicit you have been. This is how you trespass, beloveds. You take an unbecoming photo and you hang it on your door.

Do not feel sorry for yourself. Be glad for yourself. Look to good fortune, and good fortune will find you. Let Me be your good fortune. Be your own good fortune. Get ready for it. Get used to it. Hail to your good fortune.