Another thing from a friend and I don't think he speaks perfect English so excuse the grammar and spelling.
I tried to fix some of it but I really didn't fix it all.
Read it gently trying to gain some truths for life.

Desiderata - by Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all people.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their own story.
Avoid the loud and aggressive person, they are a vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for there will always be greater and lesser people than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Stay interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery, but let this not blind you to what virtue there is. Many people strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.
Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.
Whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
(Max Ehrmann)

How do you measure sucess or failure?

Life is full of times to succeed and times to fail, but how you look at them will determine who you are in your eyes and the world's eyes (if that really matters.) If you see one time of failure as defining you as a failure then you will never succeed, but if you see those isolated times of failure as times to grow then you will never be a failure.

Wow another year has come and gone.
I don't know about you but every year the next one comes faster than the last maybe it has something to do with getting older.
This year has been an amazing and puzzling, beautiful and tainted, enlightening and confusing, full of discoveries and new ideas and returning to the basics.
I feel like I am on the verge of discovering something about me and who I am that I never realized before. I have been pushed out of my comfort zone (again) and forced to ask questions that a couple years ago I would have never considered asking. I know in the end this will strengthen who I am as a person and as a Christian, but right now it feels like I am running through a maze with no way out.
I am beginning to see a different side to the world. I took a class this year on Comparative Religions which made me look at the other religions of the world. It made me ask questions, but then strengthened my faith through my questioning.
God has been opening doors to new relationships whether from people at work to people I met on the bus while doing surveys. He is really pushing me out of being an extream introvert to trying new relationships and social activities.
He has strengthened my love and heart for Saint-Germain-en-Laye. He has really made it a place I... I am not sure how to express it, but the best way I can put it into words is that it is like being in love. I think and pray for SGEL constantly. I can't get it off my mind. I love talking about it. Seeing pictures almost make me cry. I can't think of it without smiling and getting excited. God is amazing!
His word is becoming more and more a part of my daily need and not something I am supposed to read. He has been showing me the importance of spending time set aside for just being in His presence. Six of us made a vow this year for 70 days to do 70 mins a day to spend in God's presence. There have been days were the time goes really slow and its hard to focus but there are also those times when God really meets me and 70 minutes is not longer enough time.
Like I said before its been a contrasting year. Nothing seems to be staying the same. Everything is changing and it has to or else life would get stagnent.