I fell in love with this poem when I was a kid. I thought wow, what a way to live your life. I have it in my room. Emerson succeeded in his life as we are still reading his poem and it is still influencing the way we (at least some of us) see the world. I just wanted to share it with you.

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.

by: Ralph Waldo Emerson