It is easy to be happy when everything is going great. We can find it much more difficult during life’s challenges. Several weeks ago, I was taking my dogs for a walk. It was a beautiful morning and I was walking around the green belt and pond near our home, enjoying seeing the ducks and other animals as we were getting our morning exercise. I was reflecting on how good I was feeling, how excited I am about what I am accomplishing this year… completely filled with confidence that I am going to accomplish the personal goals I have put in front of me. And boom…. just like that fear set in. I felt a shot of adrenaline pass through me. Now remember – what we are feeling is directly related to our thoughts so I had to stop (well I didn’t literally stop, I did keep walking) and evaluate what was going on in my head.
Things are great. This is going to be the best year. Wait…what if I am not meant to have all this happiness? When is the shoe going to drop? What if this is the best year AND the worst year? What if something horrible happens in the midst of it all? What if… what if … what if….
The “What if” game is never a productive game if you replace the unknown with the awful. More times than not, that is what we do and as such, I am a big believer that we attract what we think and what we put out into the world. Instead… anticipate all that is good. Or better yet, instead of anticipating what is to come, enjoy the now. Breathe in the beauty of today and if today is filled with challenges for you, then give thanks for those trials because they are opportunities for growth. Find the positive that may be hiding in the midst. I promise you, it is there. You may not see it today, but it is there. Seek it and you will find it.