Daily Gratitude: “If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.”

I think crying is fine. It’s a physical release and so often we don’t allow ourselves enough release.

What this quote is talking about is not staying in the “crying cycle” because the sadness and the mental depression will keep you from seeing joy even when it’s right in front of you. Think what it’s like to drive and a downpour starts. Whereas you could see ahead of you perfectly, all of a sudden there’s only a sheet of water in your face. Your wipers can’t get rid of it fast enough. There may even be streaks of mud splattered all over the windshield too.

The result? You can’t see squat past your own inner environment. If there is constant water and mud coming from somewhere (your tears), you’ll never notice when the sun comes out. You won’t be able to see the beauty all around you. The cycle continues.

Allow yourself to have a pity party when things aren’t going well. That’s expected. It’s normal. But consider putting a time limit on it and get your family and friends to help you stick to it. You can make it as long as you want so you don’t feel picked on. Everyone adapts differently.

You want to see the sun shine again, don’t you?

Daily Gratitude: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all!”

Whenever you have an opportunity to step beyond the norm, beyond your comfort zone, go ahead and do it.

But if you don’t have something you consider to be a “daring adventure”, think again. Often what we get to do every day is our version of a daring adventure because we find joy in what we’re doing.

So don’t let words get in your way. Our daily challenge should be to see how we can have a life adventure every day. What can you do to make that happen? Can you pretend you’re watching a news program and they’re having a special….a special show on your life…. Your life TODAY, not next week or next year. The world wants to see what you’re doing today that brings you happiness and makes you fulfilled.

Every morning when you wake up, Start preparing for the paperazzi because that means your famous and the whole world is watching because they want to be like you and have what you have.

Don’t forget the sunglasses.

Daily Gratitude: “What are you paying attention to?”

What we think (and even what we feel) is so dependent on what we’re paying attention to. And that frequently is dependent on many other variables such as where you life and who you associate with.

But you can control most of those variables. Just take an election year, for example. How much less anxiety and feeling unsettled could you have if you didn’t watch TV or listen to the news? Especially if you already know who you’re supporting or going to vote for? What do you get out of watching
the news then?

That’s what you should be asking yourself when you find that you’re paying a lot of attention to something. “Why am I doing it and what value does it bring me? Do I really need to be doing this?”

This came to me today as I sat in my chair and wondered what the weather was (because I was starting to get a headache). I realized that I hadn’t checked the weather in a few weeks. That surprised me and then I discovered I hadn’t checked because I hadn’t needed to since I am not able to go out for very long walks I don’t really care what the forecast is. So something that was pretty routine for me was easily tossed by the wayside.

We have the ability to do that with other things in our life as well. We can and should decide where our attention will go. What do you want to get out of your day? What matters to you?

The things I am attentive to are now much different than they were two months ago before my injury. And that’s the way life goes.

Unfortunately we often hold on to and keep attending to things that no longer really matter in our lives.

When was the last time you took an inventory of all that “matters” to you and that you spend some time on, no matter how minimal that might be?

Is it time to declutter your attention getting items? Would that help make your life easier and maybe also serve to calm your nervous system?