Daily Gratitude: “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

This could also be said as stop beating your head against the wall and start peeling away your layers so you can look inside.

Ideally if the situation is out of our control we shouldn’t even be trying to change the situation. Unless it’s to take yourself out of those circumstances.

I feel it’s always best to work on myself first. Of course if you’re sitting in a burning building and there’s a way out, you want to extract yourself. But most of the things we get ourselves into can be better dealt with by examining our reactions and responses.

My upcoming race may be problematic due to medical issues. But I’m going no matter what. And I’m going to apply what I learned last year. I’m going to have fun and enjoy the challenge. I could spend the time between now and then “worrying” about (aka obsessing about) the issues. But what good would that do? It would just ruin the days I spend thinking negatively.

My time is better spent experimenting with possible solutions, doing the best I can and enjoying each and every day as it comes.

Remember that over 90% of the things we worry about never happen. It doesn’t mean to ignore things but attending to something is not the same as worrying.

Use that energy to look for the positives. I am so grateful for the mess I made of last years race because not only did I get a new book out of it but I learned so much that I’ve already applied in my life. These improvements have made it all worthwhile.

Think about something in your life that is such that you can challenge yourself. See what happens to your mood and your outlook.