I think we all want to be real.

We want our relationships to be strong and enduring. We want to be a true friend. We want to live a rich and productive life.

To do this, we must be willing to do some serious thinking about who we are. And this can be a painful process, can't it? Sometimes it's tough for any of us to be sure of just who we are.

Yet, I'm convinced that real happiness demands a clear understanding of self. And, furthermore, I'm convinced that this doesn't have to be a mysterious, drawn - out process. It can begin today - simply and without fanfare. These five simple ideas are designed to help along the way.

1. Today, I'll be a friend - no conditions, no reservations, no expectations - I will simply be a friend. And nothing my friend does can change that. He doesn't have to follow my script in order to be my friend. Friendship does not grow out of the demands I place on others; it grows out of what I am.
2. Today, I'll change my life and my family's life in just 60 seconds. I will look deep into their eyes in a way they'll know that nothing and no one else in all the world is in my mind but them. In a way that makes the world stand still. A way that says more powerfully than all words or gifts ever could, "I love you."
3. Marriage means a man and a woman looking deep into each other's eyes and saying, "I will never leave you." Others may come and go in your life, but I never will. For any reason. Ever. If you wrinkle, I'll love you. If you fail, I'll stay with you. If you get sick, I'll feed you, bathe you, sit up with you - anything except leave you. I will never leave you.
4. Today, I'll do something important rather than just respond to all the urgent demands. I'll take time for my family. I'll write that letter to my friend. I'll make that important phone call. I'll do some things that will make today count. And I'll feel better - no guilt, no more procrastination - I'll have the energy for the things I have to do. I didn't make today, but I'm not going to let today make me.
5. Today, I will not compromise my life. I will not compromise my integrity. I will not compromise my commitment to the people I love. I will not compromise the value of any human being. Today, I will affirm life. I'll reach for the stars; I may not get one, but I won't come up with a handful of mud, either.