Where's Your Head At?

What an insane start to 2014! I can't wrap my head around the fact it is only two week into the year and it's shaping up to be a roller coaster! Good thing I love the rush!

First, welcome back! I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas Holiday! We sure did! Lots of smiles, laughs, food and good company. The jeans got a little snugger, in part I'm sure to the lack of exercise during this time mixed with so many delicious foods, but I'm thrilled to say my weight stayed the same! A miracle! Due to the crazy ice storm we didn't get to see as many family members as would have liked, but better to stay safe and see them at a later date then never see them again!

I have to confess, coming up with a topic this week has been more of a challenge that I anticipated! So much going on and yet how do I narrow it down to share on one particular subject? Well at this time, this second week of 2014(!?!?!) a good share of excitement and alarm have been placed on our doorstep so discussing mental attitude seems most fitting. 

This past year had been a roller coaster as well, but I see it as a success and I attribute that to the personal growth and development that took place for myself and in affect, my family. Through starting up my own business I found myself plugging in to many personal development books. Novels like John Maxwell's  The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, Norman Vincent Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking, As a Man Thinketh by James Allen and the latest, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin to name a few. 

Through each of these powerful resources I gained more insight into how my behaviour and frame of mind had been structured to this point in my life, and I was surprised by how negative it all was! "Maybe", "if", "perhaps", "try", "can't" and "I don't know" were all staple words in regular conversation! I discovered I was constantly setting myself up with roadblocks rather than looking beyond the immediate obstacle to the end result. Viewing that end result with eagerness and a smile made thinking about how to get there far easier! Actively DECIDING that I wasn't going to be negative (because frankly how good is the company of someone who is a 'downer'?) felt like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulder! CHOOSING to be happy, and to focus my energy on things that make me happy, like helping and serving others, has done wonders for my psyche and now, during a time of very real alarm and turmoil in my life, I find that I'm not panicking. I'm very aware of worst case scenarios that could present themselves in the days and months to come, however I'm not dwelling on them and getting stuck. I find myself focused on 'what can I do right now in the present, to make this moment just a little bit better?' and that makes me happy. I've learned that I can't always control the circumstances of my life, but I CAN control how I handle them. And that too, makes me happy.

If my words resonate with you and you have any stories you would like to share, I would love to hear them!