_--we didn't have the courage. Our failures
spread a gloom before us. _We lost our chances for a happy life!_

The man with the ability to laugh has little diffidence about these
matters. Having confidence in himself and being happy and alert he goes
to the friend in need with courage and the kind of help that helps. If
he doesn't do it directly he finds a way to reach him through mutual
friends. He does not go about _parading_ his kindness, either. He has
gained a sincere and beautiful pleasure out of aiding an old friend and
he can go on his way rejoicing that life is worth living when he has
lived up to its higher ideals.

Consideration for others does not necessarily involve only the big
things. It is the sum and total of numberless acts and thoughts that
make for friendships and kindliness. People who are thoughtful surely
brighten the world. They are ever ready to do some little thing at the
correct moment and after a time we begin to realize how much their
presence means to us. We may not notice them the first time, or the
third, or the fifth, but after a while we become conscious of their
persistence and we esteem them accordingly. Such men are the products of
_clean, straightforward lives._ They are never too busy to exchange a
pleasant word. They do not flame into anger on a pretext. Their code of
existence is well ordered and filled to the brim with lots to do and
lots to think about. The old saying: "_If you want anything go to a busy
man_," applies to them in this regard. The busier men are the more time
they seem to have for _kindliness_.

Another word for consideration is service. Nothing brings a greater
self-reward than a service done in an hour of need, or a favor granted
during a day's grind. The generous man who climbs to the top of the
ladder helps many others on their way. The more he does for someone else
the more he does for _himself_. The stronger he becomes--the greater his
influence in his community. Doing things for others may not bring in
_bankable dividends_ but it does bring in _happiness_. Such actions
scorn a higher reward. We have only to try out the plan to learn the
truth for ourselves. A good place to begin is _at home_. Then, _the
office_, or wherever life leads us. And in doing these things we will
laugh as we go along--we will laugh and get the most out of living.

Our little day-by-day kindnesses when added together constitute in time
a huge asset on the right side of our ledg