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.

Daily Gratitude: Nothing could be truer. I can personally attest to this and if you know my history from 2016 and 2017 you’ll understand how I can claim to be such an expert on this. If you don’t recognize your emotions and feel them (which is different from reacting), they will just be retained in your system- first in the nervous system and then in your various organs. Look at headaches and how they get worse with stress. As a simple example, though, think about the physiological changes that happen when you have to meet someone for the first time (red face, rapid heart beat and increased respiratory rate); how about if you have to talk in front of people? Butterflies? Goosebumps? Face flushed? Shaking? Nausea? Passing out? These are all responses to an emotion (fear and/or stress). I never knew any emotion except for anger. Obviously I suppressed all the others. Each of those suppressed feelings was working inside of my body working on various organ systems. Eventually when the external stressors created an environment where there was no escape, the volcano within erupted. Several organ systems manifested their damage in a few weeks time. The disaster had occurred. Since this awakening, I have worked very hard to feel my emotions and let them be released normally instead of shoving them down inside. I have improved dramatically as has my health. Therefore I can speak with authority on this.