In 1912 Christian Larson wrote about the beauty of self-discipline. A good life does not come from being lucky. It comes from cultivating optimism and living it. That was his statement. I like his original idea and added some personal notes that seem to better fit our time.
Promise Yourself:
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
– Well, mine is disturbed quite often. I see this as normal and know that stasis means death. I am not ashamed to be a mess.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
– Only when you can do this with sincerity and uprightness. But don’t be fake.
To make all your friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
– Add: everybody. We can learn something valuable from every person. No exception.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
– Life is not that easy. It tends to give us shit cakes… don’t be ashamed of your s-cakes.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
– At times, there IS lousy work to do. Do it with grace.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
– Praise your competitors. Be generous. There is enough for everyone, including you.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
– LEARN from the past, don’t ignore it! When you learn it was not in vain. If you don’t learn from it, it was in vain.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature you meet.
– Well no. Please, don’t do this. Don’t lie to anyone. “Fake it till you make it” is the worst advice ever. Be real, not fake. But try to be a good person at all times.
To give so much time to improving 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.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.
– Nothing to add. Thank you, Sir!
Much love,
Anselma
p.s. The brilliant Scott Pool, Academy Director and Professor of Music out of Texas, USA, made a stunning recording of one of my Tango-Etudes. Watch this, it’s fabulous!
The other day I was talking to a friend. He insisted that the nature of reality is subjective.
… always count your change!
The devil made a garage sale. He put a desk in front of his house and placed all his nice tools there. Envy, malice, dispair, hatred and jealousy were all on sale, one by one nicely lined up. But apart from those off to the side he had his favorite tool. It looked very used and was priced above all the others. It was very, very effective and it worked better than any of the other tools. It was labelled with the sign “discouragement”.
The other day I was teaching piano and a student’s mother was not pleased with the outcome. She complained that her child was not practicing enough. Her judgement was: the child is lazy. It needs more coercion. And well, I am just not the person who would coerce anybody. It’s not productive! And certainly not the best for the child.
There are two things that we can not see easily. But we can, when we get attentive enough and know a little bit more about human nature.
An old man and a boy were traveling to town with a donkey. At first, the old man was riding the donkey and the boy was walking. When they stopped by a little tavern, the innkeeper critizised the old man: “How can you let the boy walk for so long? That’s inhumane!” 
– Making mistakes is normal.
A colleague helping out in our company wrote, she wishes much success for all the upcoming new creative projects in 2026 but she does not like the word success, she means joy, recognition and a positive resonance with others.
The European basic idea that all state systems are based on is rooted in giving support. I was never aware of this fact – until the day my orchestra made a concert tour to India. As artists, we resided in luxurious hotels, with huge bedrooms and bathrooms all in marble. I had never been to more elegant und exquisite accommodations than in India. We were driving around in air-conditioned busses and had all the conveniences a person could think of.
