Daily Gratitude: This is a great quote that goes along with Brian Cain’s 200 feet headlights metaphor. He states that if you know the start and the destination, you can stay on the proper road even in the dark – simply by seeing 200 feet in front of you. When you cover that 200 feet, your headlights will shine on the next 200 feet and so on. This will help keep you from being overwhelmed- just concentrate on the next 200 feet. Eventually it will be daylight.

Daily Gratitude: It took me a long time but i’m so much better at this in the last couple of years. Better late than never I guess. However, i can definitely attest to the truth of this statement. As I’ve become more at ease entering new situations and meeting new people, my anxiety level has dramatically decreased and i go into these situations looking foward to what’s going to happen instead of dreading it as i did for decades. Once again, i have to credit Internal Family Systems (IFS) for my success at that. I don’t have to be defensive any more because i know that if i make a mistake at something, that just relects that one thing at that particular moment. it does NOT reflect anything about me. If i can’t so something, i now know to follow it with the understanding that i can’t do it yet and know that it’s because i haven’t learned and practiced enough. Again it doesn’t mean I am a bad person. I can’t tell you what a difference in my life this has made. I find loving myself makes it easier to love everyone else and that’s a big goal. I have received so much in my life that it’s time to give back. I encourage you to look at everything you do in “chunks” so that you can analyze them as individual items, not as a part of your entire self. It’s so much more calming and relaxing.

Daily Gratitude: How do you summon this courage? Starting simple. Get a piece of paper or your phone/computer and record just one thing you are grateful for. One tiny thing. That’s all. It will help your spirits even if just a tiny bit. Put down another small thing and so on. If you can hold on and do this for 10 things, no matter how small, your mood will be better. Once you feel better, you can continue listing the things you’re grateful for. Trying to think of them will take your focus off the hard times. Once the focus is elsewhere, that will also help your mood. Keeping your mind off the bad things is key to altering your outlook. And making you happier, even if just for a bit.