I stared at my computer trying to think of a topic to write about for my monthly newsletter.
Nothing. My mind was blank.
Not getting anything accomplished, I decided to leave my office and take a walk hoping it might inspire me.
I grabbed my coat, and my little dog, who is sadly suffering from bladder cancer, and slowly started to walk. As sick as she is, she still loves her walks!
As we walked, my mind wandered to my life in the past year.
- I thought about my two sons and how much they mean to me.
- I thought about my husband Ron and how he is the wind beneath my sail. Would I be where I am without his love, support and gentle guidance? No.
- I thought about the close friendships I have made over the last few years.
- I thought about my dog and how wonderful it was to have her in our life for 9 years.
- I thought about all the great things that happened during the last year.
Now you might find it interesting to know what I didn’t think about …
I didn’t think about the negative things that happened to us, although I could have because Ron and I certainly had our fair share of it. I didn’t even think about that rainbow bridge Maggie was going to walk across. I just felt gratitude towards her for being a part of our family.
Why? Because sometimes you need to look at things with a different perspective. I purposely look at what I have, and ignore what I don’t.
Listen, I know the negative is there, I just don’t dwell on it because if you dwell on the negative, then it will bury you. I’ve actually “been there done that” to coin an old phrase.
Here’s what you don’t know about me…
Once upon a time I was in my mid-twenties and living in New York City. I was angry, alone, completely miserable, and quite possibly the most negative person on the planet. Proven by the fact that whenever I left my apartment, I would walk down the street with my head down. I guess I liked to look at my shoes while I walked. At least that’s what I used to tell myself. I literally would walk down the street looking at my shoes as they hit the pavement.
Click… clack… eyes down… repeat.
True story.
Amazing that I never walked into people right? I never window shopped, nor did I see the buildings and people around me as my eyes were always watching my feet. Although the reason for my being like this is a very long story, the short version is that I was pretty much alone in the world, and incredibly unhappy with my life. I saw the negative in everything and was physically sick and tired most of the time.
Plus I was drinking to dull the pain.
A lot.
When I turned 29 in 1990, I finally had enough and decided to quit drinking and change my life. I’ve been sober now for 32 years.
I also spent a few weeks trying as hard as I could to look at life in a more positive way. Mostly because I finally became sick and tired of being sick and tired all the time. I began to purposely look at life differently and tried to see what I had, instead of what I didn’t have. I read some inspiring books and tried to go out more.
To make a long story short, I started making a few friends and was introduced to my husband on a beach. My life turned completely around and I started to love life again.
Then a funny thing happened … I began to notice that I didn’t look down at my shoes when I walked anymore!! I actually looked around when I walked and held my head up higher. Plus, once I stopped looking at the world through dark glasses, the negative stuff stopped slamming into me all the time. Although I ran into the occasional pot hole, life improved dramatically. I didn’t get sick from every cold bug that walked down the street, and I was not as tired anymore.
So what’s my point?
Look up at the abundance in your life. Look at what you’ve accomplished so far! Look at what you have, NOT what you don’t have. You absolutely can be the person you always wanted to be. Just decide to change and look at your life with a different perspective.
And when the negative world tries to slam into you?
Look UP at the world and not down at your feet. Look at what you have already done, and then start walking one step at a time. One day at a time. With your head held high.
You totally got this.
