Daily Gratitude: The wise woman (RBG) hit the nail on the head here. We all want to see change RIGHT NOW? That’s the age of instant gratification. But real change really does happen one small step at a time. There may be times when there’s a big step but don’t rely on that happening all the time. It takes work to make real change, significant change. You may be thinking that if you just work 24/7 on something then the change will come more quickly. If it does, it won’t be significant. Why? Because significant change also requires balance in your life. If you’re working 24/7 on something, there’s no balance. Change may occur but I don’t think it will be lasting and it could also possibly cause imbalance elsewhere in your life, requiring you to then pay attention to that other thing. Soon the original problem might return. It’s a seesaw effect. Be happy with small steps.

Daily Gratitude: We’ve talked about fear before and how it can totally take over your life. And I think this quote is correct – that once you understand a situation, your fear markedly diminishes. This even applies to feelings. Many people fear their anxious feelings because they don’t really know what’s going on. The chemicals released in anxiety states makes the body react weirdly- it’s not really weird, it’s just that we’re not used to those sensations. If they go to a doctor or therapist and have it all explained to them, they get reassured they aren’t dying (even though it may have felt like it). Once they understand what is going on, it’s not as likely to lead to the fear. At that point they can learn how to manage either what’s causing the anxiety or their response. This applies to anything you’re afraid of too, not just anxiety. I talked about that because so many people don’t understand their feelings. Fear has lots of acronym explanations such as false evidence appearing real but I really think that’s not true. There are many times where fear is warranted. Want another one? How about Face the fear, Acknowledge what’s going on, Embrace the situation and the thing you’re fearing, and Respond. That’s a much better action oriented description. Try to understand whatever is happening and then try to understand why you’re feeling afraid. Then you can take action.