My Story

We all have a story, the difference is the action we take, the attitude we have, and the goals we set. My story is one where I felt I had hit a brick wall. I lived many miles from my family and did not have a strong support network. I was in a failing marriage. And, of course, money was tight. Needless to say I was stressed out. Actually I was on stress overload!

When I talked with friends there seem to be a pity party developing. I found myself thinking about poor me, which did nothing to reduce my stress levels. I quickly pulled myself from that way of thinking and realized I had to change my thinking.

At that time the internet was not what it is today. I went to my public library and started reading books. I was like a sponge, looking for answers, trying to find out where I went wrong. I read books on goal setting, on successful people, on positive thinking, on stress relief, on psychology, the list could go on and on. I also started writing down quotes from these books, and when I felt a "poor me" attitude I would open my book of quotes and read them.

I was searching for answers. And the common theme that ran through all the books I had read was attitude and goals.

Your attitude, whether you are positive or negative will determine your success in life, and will determine the amount of stress you have. My own way of dealing with my attitude is to question myself - Am I looking for the good in all circumstances? No matter what happens there is good, we just have to look for it. And, at the time we may not see the good, but it is there.

And, goals - well all I can say is that since I started setting goals for myself, I truly have accomplished more than I could have ever dreamed of previously.
The easiest way to set goals is to answer the following questions:
- What is it I want to achieve?
- When do I want to achieve it?
- Where am I today land what action do I need to take to achieve my goal?
It is critical that the answers to these questions be written out. It is like making a commitment to yourself.

At the end of the day it really doesn't matter what our story is, what matters is what we do about it. We are the authors of our own story, we determine the ending. Don't allow others to determine your future, design your own future by keeping a positive attitude and setting your goals. You will find by doing this you will reduce your stress, and, you will lead a much happier life with more accomplishments!