Daily Gratitude: How true this is. Yet all too often we allow our brain to direct our feet to run right smack into a wall. Then, instead of looking around or moving our feet around a bit to the left or a bit to the right, we stay there knocking our heads against the wall

If we took a moment and looked around instead of straight ahead, perhaps we’d spot the window or the door just a bit away.

Our brains are trying to protect us and as such, they will generally send us in the direction they are used to because they know that direction to be safe.

Our brains don’t want to look around and explore. That might be dangerous. Remember that their primary function and goal is to keep us away from danger.

When you hit a wall, don’t think “this is the end”. Instead think “ok I’ve hit this wall. Let’s take a look and see if I can find some other exit”. Don’t think of it as an escape because that implies danger and your brain will resist. Make it a game and fun so your brain goes along with it.

Take charge and direct your brain to move those feet “to the right” or “to the left”. Or start simple and have your eyes move to see what you can find.

Your brain will yield to you once you let it know what you want. You do not have to be enslaved by it.

Daily Gratitude: So many of us fall into this trap. We think that “making a living” is our life. It can be but all too often it becomes a “work around”. We’re too busy making that “living” to actually enjoy or even know what life is all about.

I know I spent decades just making a living. I didn’t know what life was supposed to be or entail. It wasn’t until I was stationed here in San Antonio in the 80s that I found out there was more to life than medicine and the military. The time was perfect and I was ripe for a change.

Have you experienced that? Look back over your life and see if you’ve had the “awakening”. Have you reorganized your priorities so you could enjoy what you’re doing all day every day.

That’s what “making a living” should be – just an extension of the activities you love. It really doesn’t matter what you do as long as you’re happy doing it. If you’re not happy, make it a top goal to change that situation.

You may not be able to change your job right now but can you change the way you look at it or the people you work with so that you’re not spending 10 or more hours of your life miserable. Take this one goal and see if you can brainstorm it to make yourself happier.

Daily Gratitude: How true this is. Have you ever tried something new that you weren’t very excited about but felt that you should do it? How much progress did you make and how fast? Now think of something you started doing because you loved the idea. How did that progress? Probably a lot faster and more successful than the first. Why? Because your head was in it. It was something you wanted to do. It was a mental change.

I can’t believe how “good” and well behaved I’ve been for the past 6 weeks in a sling. Sure the first couple of weeks were because of the pain but after about week 3, I remained extremely conscientious about not doing things I wasn’t supposed to do. Why? Because I didn’t want my clavicle to take any longer than necessary to heal because i have things to do with my right arm .

I set it in my mind that although this was inconvenient, it was just something I had to accept and deal with, staying away from the pity party or the “how can I get around this” type of attitude.

I had mentally accepted this and the steps towards recovery. It was a change of mind from the kicking and screaming and the “why me. This is the pits” type thinking. And guess what?

I made a lot of progress. You can too by examining your thoughts and feelings about something you “have to do”. How can you make it exciting so your mind can embrace it enthusiastically? Spend some time pondering that question.