Daily Gratitude: It’s so hard to remember this when things aren’t going well. And that’s exactly when we need to remember it. It helps to remember a time in the past when it seemed like there was no hope. You were so down you didn’t think you could ever climb out of that hole. Then try to recall a year from that time and see what your life was like then and how much that “thing” mattered then. Did it seem to have as much significance? Did whatever pain it caused still persist? In most cases I would imagine not. Things probably got better but in some cases something else not so good took its place. The point is that the importance of that initial thing changed. We who don’t really like change might do well to remember all those “bad” times when we wanted things to change so we could get out of that “bad” situation. Why do we want change only when we decide it’s worthwhile? Isn’t that pretty presumptuous of us? Sometimes I have to laugh at how powerful we think we are. I know I’ve written about this endlessly but it was an important lesson. When I had the post Shingles nerve pain, I so wanted it to change. It was agony. But 13 months later I saw a purpose to it (i would have been just as happy to learn that purpose sooner, of course). Because of the medicine they put me on for it, I ended up discovering my underlying kidney disease which otherwise could have progressed a lot before diagnosis. That entire 13 months was filled with lessons and pain but that’s what it took to wake me up and it’s as if I awoke a different person. Now that didn’t happen overnight but it did happen. I have rambled and talked about more than one point in this post and I apologize. It’s important for us to recognize that each struggle we endure is like another workout at the gym. Because I’ve been working out steadily I can now do more things around the house in my daily life that were becoming difficult. So the struggle of those workouts have enabled me to have the strength to overcome other difficulties. That’s a simple example but there are many more. Try to be grateful for whatever you’re going through and ask for guidance to discover what it is you’re supposed to be learning.

Daily Gratitude: I have been an ostrich in so many aspects of my life. If I could stick my head in the sand to avoid something, I did. I didn’t want to face anything. It wasn’t until about 4 years ago that I realized I wanted something different. Then I got to work and began facing the things that had frightened me. It wasn’t easy but it worked. It didn’t all work at once and it took repeated effort, but looking “it” in the face turned out NOT to be as painful as i had previously thought. You’ll never change by avoiding and ignoring something. You have to stand square and say “bring it on”!

Daily Gratitude: It’s so important for us to remember this. Haven’t you wondered how your best friend could think so highly of John Smith? You just know he’s a jerk and dishonest and oh so conceited. After all, he snubbed you at the company party last year; he never smiles at you; and has never given you even one compliment. He must be a nasty man. How could two people have such different opinions of one person? Is he a different person when he interacts with each? Probably not since that requires planning and maximal effort. He’s probably the same guy no matter who’s around. So why does one person think highly of him and the other not? Because this man, John Smith, is thought of differently by you and your friend. You each have evaluated him based on your past experiences and your impressions (your thoughts and opinions). All of our thoughts and opinions are based on our past. Some people trust everyone because that’s how they were taught. Some don’t trust anyone for the same reason. Next time you have an automatic impression come into your head, stop and ask yourself two things: 1) Where am I getting this idea and 2) what other evidence can I gather to either substantiate or refute this possibly incorrect first impression it will teach you a lot about yourself.