Daily Gratitude: Once you become aware of your weaknesses, you have a starting place. For what? To reassess what you want to work on to bolster your strengths. You can always turn your weaknesses into strengths once they are out there on the table. Awareness is the first step in every single thing we do if we wish to change. Why? Because awareness takes everything out from the shadows. it’s hard to see something when it’s in the dark. Shining a light on your weaknesses gives you new tools. At that point you can also lay out your strengths next to the weaknesses and if you’re lucky, you have the entire puzzle ready for you to put together.

This may sound simplistic but I mean for it to help give you a visual image to help change your mental approach to problems. Putting a big jigsaw puzzle together can be overwhelming and so can some of your puzzles. But if you remember that when all the pieces are on the table with none remaining in the box or hidden on the floor, a smile might come to your face and then you can attack the job with joy and excitement.

You really have no weaknesses. They are just strengths in disguise.

Can you apply this to something in your life right now?

Daily Gratitude: Well, this is a bummer. I guess I’m not too intelligent. However, I must be getting smarter because I’m getting better at change. Maybe there’s hope.

Seriously (although i was being serious) we should examine this saying. After all Albert is way above the norm in almost all categories of brain function. But that makes it more interesting since he isn’t saying that intelligence is an IQ measurement or how well you do on tests. No, he’s saying it’s measured by how well you can adapt to different conditions and circumstances.

I think that’s because in many, if not most, instances of change, you have to use your brain to facilitate that change. If you can open your mind and look at any type of change with excitement and curiosity, you never know what might come out of it. It might even become fun in that “let’s figure out this puzzle kind of way”.

Let’s just try it. Next time you are up against some sort of change, stop and say “I am intelligent so this will be fun, even if challenging” or something similar.

Instead of being a Nike man or woman today, just try it.

Daily Gratitude: Boy is this true. It takes great practice to stay in the present moment and not go off on a “movie director” career – meaning creating multiple scenarios, no matter how far fetched. I think I might receive the Academy Award for this.

I am learning to stop when this happens and say “stop. The fact is _ and all the rest is your creation, Terrie. Stick with the fact”. My medical mind goes all over the place acting like Dr Oz or something. It really does take effort to stop.

It’s funny how I’m less likely to go off catastrophizing in areas that aren’t medical…or actually, in areas where i have little knowledge. It seems that knowledge is key for a good spiral downward.

Do you go off into ideas and thoughts that are fear based? What phrases or ideas can you use to stop your mind from hurtling out of control? Share them with us please.