This past week was crazy and emotional for me. I learned one of my friends has Lymphoma. I feel helpless and afraid. Last week’s topic, Be Less Afraid, took on a whole other meaning for me. The last couple days I have been concentrating on what I can do in this situation instead of what I cannot. Of course, I’ve been reflecting on my life a bit too. I’ve been trying to figure out the things I can improve in my life: health, my relationships with friends and family, the money situation (or lack thereof). And, trying to forget about the things I can’t do anything about (you’ll be spared the long list of those). I’ve been thinking about all the things in my life that I am thankful for. It’s not even Halloween yet so a post about giving thanks may seem premature, but my list of things keeps getting bigger and I have found that it motivates me. The point is, that when you see the positive around you and take measure of the good things in your life, more good things come to you. So, this week’s topic is:
Take Measure.
With all the bad news we are bombarded with on a daily basis; the economy, environmental worries, terrorism, swine flu, regular flu, health care. It’s no wonder that we have a hard time seeing the things in our lives that are good. Do you see yourself as a Debbie Downer? Sometimes when I hear a response that throws a wet blanket over a conversation I even make the “Wah, Waaahh” noise. I admit, that at times…I’m the Debbie Downer. We can let external pressure control our moods or we can decide that WE control how we feel. I’m including a fill-in-the-blank worksheet with this post so that you can take measure of the good things in your life and keep that momentum going this week. There are two lists to a sheet, click the link to download (Macs: option click).
[artwork © Aimee Elizabeth McEwen]
Chief_Red_Raider
/ 09/30/2009I absolutely agree. The one thing that we ALWAYS have control of is how we describe/define/interpret the things and events in our lives. In Hamlet, Shakespeare wrote “for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
I tend to ask myself LOTS of questions before getting too worked up or emotional about things. Some of the questions that I ask are:
-> What can I learn from/in this situation?
-> How can I help somebody else in this situation?
-> Who do I know that has had a similar situation (maybe I can learn from their experience)?
-> What is funny about this situation?
Thank you for the reminder to count our blessings and look at what we CAN do instead of what we can’t or look at what we HAVE instead of what we don’t. Sometimes we forget to see all the positive things that are around us because we’re too busy looking at the negatives.
You and this blog are going on the top of my ‘Take Measure’ list.
Yvonne Y
/ 10/06/2009Positive thinking Aimee! You will get through this phase of your life…stronger and more confident!