Daily Gratitude: Have you ever felt that you’re just not good enough? That you can’t “get it?” I have. But then, if I take the time to look at everything, I’ll realize “of course you’re not good enough, Terrie. You just started doing this.” And that’s usually the case. It’s something i just decided to delve into because it seemed interesting. So of course I wasn’t doing it well yet. That’s more of our instant gratification Philosophy. We need to realize that we can get better- a lot better- if we just keep plugging away. But here’s where comparison comes in, and is, as usual, dangerous. We may see someone else doing this thing and doing it a lot better than we do. So, instead of saying “I can get that good too, if I just continue to practice.”, we mope around, feeling inferior and unhappy and then decide to give up on it. What if we just kept trying to get better and continued trying ? I think we’d get better at just about anything we’re doing. Keep on trying and stop comparing. Do daily and weekly evaluation and you will see progress no matter how small. Keep going!

Daily Gratitude: You’ve heard me quote people like Brian Cain before. He says “It’s the start that stops most people”. If you look back over your life I think you’ll agree. I know that I agonize over having to make a phone call and put it off forever. But then, when I finally do it, I sit back and say to myself “that wasn’t so bad. Why do these things give you such trouble, Terrie?” My answers are always pretty similar but that’s not the point. The point is that putting off doing this one simple task was much more painful than actually doing it. You’d think I would remember that for next time and be able to overcome that procrastination but I can’t. It’s something that at least now i am attentive to and do work around (with my parts) instead of just ignoring that the problem exists. Did you ever have a good idea and thought “I would like to do x,y, or z?” But then never do it? Do you ask yourself why you never did it? I think that’s one of the most valuable questions we can ask ourselves – why? Why did we or why didn’t we do something. You can learn so much about yourself if you ponder that. Make a list of the things you want to do. Not necessarily a bucket list but a list of lots of things you think you could and would do that would be useful or fun. Now next to each write out why you haven’t done them yet OR what’s holding you back from doing them now or at least planning to do them. What is this list of “reasons” (or excuses) telling you? Thats the real key information you need to address. It will reveal so much about you and how your mind works. Try it.

Daily Gratitude: How often do we NOT do something because we’re concerned about (afraid of) what other people will think? All too often, I think. When you get to my age, you’d think I’d realize that no matter what you say or do, some people are going to criticize or complain. Does that make them right and you wrong? Why do we even think of it that way instead of “am I right and they’re wrong?” Why do we question ourselves more than we question another person, even those we barely know? Have you ever thought about that? “Why am I putting so much stock in what this person I just met thinks?” What happens when you ask yourself that? Why do you keep questioning yourself, especially without any specific evidence proving you’re wrong? If you must analyze things, examine why you decided x, y, or z. What is the basis of your opinion. If you’re darn sure that your facts match up with all the evidence then it shouldn’t matter what others say. Stop questioning yourself based solely on another’s thoughts and ideas. When you decide something, make sure your facts are solid and your conclusion is as well and then refuse to engage in argument unless you consider that other person a mentor and an expert. But any Joe Blow off the street is probably not a mentor or an expert. You don’t need someone else’s approval to have your idea. Stick with it …. Or revise it if you have GOOD reason to do so. Those other people are most likely not as smart as you are.