Those who receive my FB feed know I have posted it twice there. I have shared it on private IMs with about 5 people since yesterday, and recommended to about a half dozen via texts. But I love this poem for its simplicity. I think I am going to print it and carry it around and look at it every time the world gets a little too much.
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch
or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Birth Pangs of a Startup 