The Choice Is Yours

Your responses to situations that you face will determine your outcome. Charles Swindoll said: "Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you respond to it." Don’t allow yourself to be manipulated by outside circumstances or feelings. Why? Because your ability to make choices is a special gift. Each day, you have the opportunity to use that gift to your advantage and make the world a better place. Each day CAN count for good, because YOU control it. That’s the way you’re going to end up being the person you were meant to be.

Many things can happen to put you in a bad mood and people can say or do things that hurt. The path to mental wellness is making up your mind to think and respond in positive ways to negative stimuli. It’s going to take more than just saying it. It’s going to take hard work. When people hurt you, remember that it may actually be because they are hurting in some way too; hurt people hurt people.

Choose to focus on not responding negatively. Decide to talk through relationship problems by using “I” statements that focus on how a person’s words or actions made you feel, instead of “you’ statements that attack the other person. For example, try saying “What you did hurt me and made me feel…,” instead of “You are mean and inconsiderate. ” If people continue to behave in hurtful ways, separate yourself from them. Invest your time and words on positive relationships instead of responding to toxic people. I learn a lot about dealing with life through the bible. The bible says a soft answer turns away anger. Your attitude and responses can change a conversation or the mood from a negative one to a positive one.

Seize the day by making the most of every good and not so good moment. Focus on the rose petals and not the thorns. A few times each day, take a few moments to think about something positive around you or a happy memory. Remind yourself to be thankful for those specific things or memories. I know it is hard, but one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn is to not let the sadness of the past or the fear of the future, ruin my happiness today.

Keep a gratitude journal and choose to make today great!

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.  It will make or break a company... a church... a home.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes” ~ Charles Swindoll