This week I read Og Mandino’s The Scroll Marked II in The Greatest Salesman in the World. I liked how this scroll began. “I will greet this day with love in my heart.”

This phrase was so important, Mandino repeated it 8 more times in Scroll II. Every time Mandino stated, “I will greet this day with love in my heart” he explained why he said this.

“For this is the greatest secret of success in all ventures” (page 58). “I will welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul” (page 59). “I will encourage my friends and they will become brothers” (page 59). “I will love all manners of man for each has qualities to be admired even though they be hidden” (page 60). “And most of all I will love myself” (page 61).

Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman in the World

The very last time Mandino says “I will greet this day with love” he ends it with “and I will succeed.” This scroll reminded me of the biblical love chapter 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a. “Love is patient, love is kind… It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

What I liked about Scroll II is that even when there are perceived unpleasantries, it is followed by a blessing, a change in attitude, or a “weapon” to thwart negativity.

“I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars” (page 59). “I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge” (page 59). “Love is also my shield to repulse the arrows of hate and the spears of anger” (page 61).

Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman in the World

In this short chapter, Mandino shows why it’s important to start the day full of love. A heart full of love does not stifle dreams, criticize others, or inflict harm on others or oneself. When love is pure, it radiates outward and often changes the lives of others.

I thought it was interesting how Mandino explains that it’s important to love himself by taking care of his body and his mind and to focus on positive things, and never “allow my heart to become small and bitter” (page 62). He feeds his soul with “meditation and prayer” (page 62).

As a Christian growing up, I was told that daily prayer and meditation was good for the soul. Prayer was talking to God while meditation was listening to his reply. Like any happy relationship, both individuals need to talk and listen to each other, to give and take, so the relationship isn’t one sided; it’s complimentary.

Another way to look at it is the saying, “Apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze.” You can have apple pie without cheese, just like you can have a kiss without a hug, and it’s delightful, but apple pie eaten with a savoury cheese or a kiss with a hug takes it to the next level. But I digress.

So why have I chosen to write about Og Mandino’s Scroll II? Because it’s something tangible that I can use in my daily life.

My DMP (definite major purpose) starts with “I am healthy, energized, and relaxed. I start the day with a positive, open mind using the tapping technique, and reading positive affirmations and scripture for 15 minutes.”

If I start my day with love in my heart, with practice, I won’t get upset when my coworkers are texting instead of working. I won’t get agitated when someone cuts me off during my commute.

And when I don’t understand something in my Master Key Experience lessons, I won’t put myself down. Instead, because of Mandino’s Scroll II, I’ll remember that because I started the day with love in my heart, I will triumph.