True story:
We got married in New York 4 days after 9/11. We had to rearrange a lot of plans. The mood leading up to our big day was somber. My brother was in California; my maid of honor was in Florida. The airports were closed. I wanted to postpone the wedding.
We had the wedding & left for our honeymoon in Cabo. Half-way through our trip a category 4 hurricane hit. We were emergency evacuated out of our small beach-front resort to a big hotel. We were put in a conference room with everyone else from our resort. There were cushions from the lounge chairs on the floor of the room for us to sleep on.
The hurricane sat over Cabo for days, destroying homes, bridges, cars, roads. Power was out. The airport was closed. We couldn’t get home.
Also true story:
We got married in New York 4 days after 9/11. It was a beautiful day. Everyone was so happy to have something to celebrate. My brother & maid of honor made it to NY in time for the wedding. I was thrilled to be marrying the man I loved, surrounded by family & friends.
We went to Cabo for our honeymoon & had a week of beautiful weather. It was peaceful & relaxing. When the hurricane hit, we were well taken care of by our resort staff. We met other couples & had fun hanging out with them. We wound up getting extra days in Cabo for free.
For most of my life I was a glass is half-empty girl. I thought I was just stating the facts. I was stating the facts—the negative facts. But there were lots of positive facts I was ignoring.
It’s ridiculous but I did it for years. I talk to so many people who do the same thing—focus on all the negative things that did or might happen. Even though positives are available & possible.
Why not focus on telling your stories in a way that makes you feel hopeful, happy, powerful, proud? Give it a try & notice how it changes how you feel about your life. It can make a profound difference.
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