In Niedersachsen you find proverbs cut into the timber of the old country house frontsides, usually blessings or verses from the bible. In my parent's village, one of these house shows a small verse that gives his inhabitants a small teaching about the right way to master live with a peaceful mind. I was so impressed by its wisdom I know it by heart.

"Genieße froh, was Dir beschieden, entbehre gern, was Du nicht hast. Ein jeder Tag hat seinen Frieden, ein jeder Tag hat seine Last."

enjoy with pleasure what you're given, miss with joy what you don't have. every day has got it's peace, every day has got it's sorrow.

But this doesn't meand you shouldn't do something about your live... Christopher S.Hagen lets one of his Western Characters say: "A man should begin his live more than once. A good man does it every morning."