Daily Gratitude: They say some people are born winners. And I’ve heard the opposite too – some are born losers. it’s really neither. It’s how we think that creates our circumstances and our circumstances can be changed. Panic, worry, anger, fear, doubt. All these thoughts and emotions do is stir up your body’s control system. It’s very difficult to win in a hectic environment (internal or external or both). If that’s where you find yourself, then step back and try to regulate your inner being so that you can get back up to fight again. That is a true winner. Regroup and reassess to know what you need to do. Revise your strategy and see what happens. You may need to revise it again. Just keep at it.

Daily Gratitude: You’ve heard “it’s the start that stops most people”. This quote is just as true. Why? Why would taking even just a small baby step be so important? Wouldn’t the end, the crowning achievement be the most? No. You can’t achieve that end moment, the success…..if you don’t start. Conquering inertia is one of the hardest things to do so celebrate when you begin taking action on a project, celebrating that final success can now occur. It couldn’t happen if it’s never started right? Don’t defeat yourself before you have a chance. Take action. Take that very first step and know it was the most important!

Daily Gratitude: I look at this as “reverse engineering”. If we don’t look at what happened in the past (even if that past is only a day ago like after a big meeting), we won’t be able to see what worked and what didn’t or what we might want to change or just improve on. Take my last race for example. If I just looked at it as “good i survived the cruddy weather and still made 120 miles which is good for me”, then I’d never have seen the changes I could make to do better in my next race or even in my next life encounter. My end of life doula certification program ends next week and I intend to do an after action (race report if you will) on it. This will help me see how I’ve grown as a person; what I did that was hard for me; what interactions and reactions need work; etc. I’ve never done this with a life situation that wasn’t a specific event. It will he revealing. Before I do it, though i have to establish criteria I want to assess. Otherwise I’ll just be swept down the river by the current writing any old thing that comes to me. Having guidelines ahead of time allows you to evaluate the key points. My life will be better not only from having taken the course but from doing this debrief. Try that for something in your life.