July Positivity

Every month I sit down and think about my affirmations and gratitudes.  It's a way to keep positive about myself and know what I'm thankful for.  These two things keep me grounded in good, healthy thoughts as opposed to allowing negative ones to creep in.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not always a rosy picture of joy and unabashed happiness, but I think I tend to be more positive than most.  I do have bad moments in bad days but being able to come out of those quickly tends to keep me on the right path instead of getting lost inside the myriad of negativity that one could sink into.

One of my favorite books as a child was the Anne of Green Gables series and one thing Marilla said was  "to despair is to turn your back on God".  And it's true.  If you despair, or always think in the negative, how can positive come into your life?  It can't.  When you are constantly being negative about yourself, about your life, your job, etc... you'll never have space for the positive to come in and lift you up.  If you're in despair you can't look up and see the beauty that is this life.

Of course being positive is an exercise all by itself, most people don't have the natural inclinations anymore, they've been beaten out of us as a nation by various circumstances.  Think about the number of people on psychotropic drugs in this country...  Think about the number of people addicted to various substances to "not feel the pain"...  It's not an easy road to take, but it definitely will make a big difference in the long run.  

Your greatest asset is your mind.  Your thoughts can bury you in pain or can carry you through the darkest hour, which will you choose?   It's been said: "change your mind, change yourself."

So, for July I will share these with you:
Affirmations:  I will work my 10K plan in preparation for November's run.  I will track the food that I eat.  I will enjoy everyday that is given to me.
Gratitudes:  I am thankful for a job that I love that gives me the summer to recoop.  I'm thankful for the ability to run, jump, and play with friends or my dogs and the health that comes along with it.