Daily Gratitude: I thought lobster sucked and how could anyone eat it. Why did I think that? I have no clue but I did. “What are you talking about, Terrie?” When I was young, my family would all go to a place way out on Long Island so my father could fish. On the way home, we would stop and get lobster to have for dinner. No way on earth would I eat it. And for once my parents didn’t insist I eat “what was put in front of me” why? Because if I didn’t eat it, my mother could have mine. So in a way you could say she fostered my belief. Ha ha. Why would they get one for me if they knew I wasn’t going to eat it? Because I liked to dissect it while they were eating. But that’s another story. Anyway I kept telling myself that no one in their right mind would eat this stuff. All my life i turned it down. Then in my adult life I somehow ended up in a situation where i had been invited to someone’s house for dinner. There I eat with lobster in front of me. I had been brought up to be polite and eat what I was served so as not to be rude. So i tentatively ate this beast on my plate. Much to my surprise, I loved it. It tasted wonderful and I couldn’t get enough. My belief was shattered. I created a new belief. This is cute and seemingly insignificant but it demonstrates my point perfectly. A more important example is that i also always thought that nothing was going well in my life. I had been rejected at medical school twice, I developed epilepsy and my life plan seemed destroyed. I kept plugging along always waiting for the next shoe to drop. I finally got into medical school, my epilepsy was controlled and I was on this one lane road of a career path. Then I met the most remarkable woman ever and she taught me metaphysics and introduced me to the “everything always works out for me” concept. She told me to say it over and over as nauseum. I thought this was the dumbest thing ever. I mean just look at my life. How could I possibly say that. But I respected her so much I did as she said. And you know what? I eventually began not only to believe it AND I could also look back and see how it had been true all my life. This has become my primary core belief. It works. And now when something doesn’t go as I think it should (you’d think by now I’d know that I’m not the one in charge – sigh), I just “declare it good because everything always works out for me”. I’ve added the “declare it good” to reinforce the thought and to remind me that the universe has created the plan, not I. I encourage you to start practicing this. And watch how your life evolves.

Daily Gratitude: I can attest to the truth of this statement. The best way to win a “battle” (any sort of struggle) is to keep plodding along no matter what stands in your way. It’s easy when there’s no pressure on you to slouch around, using the “I don’t feel like it” paper mache “armor” (the kind that a tiny stick could tear apart). But then when it’s time for the main performance, what do you have? Nothing. Instead of yielding to doubt and dislike (the infamous D twins), persevere no matter what the circumstances. If you have to stop and revise your plan then do so. If you have to stop and rest for a bit, do so. If you have to completely reorganize and reorient, do so. But do so with clarity of purpose. If you have to take a break, give yourself a schedule of when to get back on track. Don’t wait for the “I don’t feel like it” ball and chain to fall away because it probably won’t. Persist/persevere, plan and adjust but don’t let the dubious D’s get in the way.

Daily Gratitude: Take a look at how this quote has played out in your life. If fear, for instance, has presented itself, has it then become a way of life for you? You fear that same thing over and over. Or, have you pushed that boulder out of the way and courage or progressive action has become your way? It pays to look at your life and see how it’s been sculpted by your behaviors. Once you’ve done one behavior, it’s so much easier to do the same thing again and again. This works for the easy and the hard behaviors. My “fear” of making telephone calls is an example. Once I force myself to make a call (that I’ve been putting off forever), it feels freeing and makes the next time easier. I’m still not excited about doing it and can still feel the fear inside but at least I know that my world didn’t explode when i dialed the phone and actually had to talk to someone. That is a baby step but it is exactly the kind of steps i need to keep that massive rock of fear out of my path. Take a moment to examine your path and see if it’s been clear or if it’s been rocky.