When I googled ‘life happens for you, not to you’ to see who to attribute it to; names like Brene Brown, Tyler Perry, Jim Carrey and Tony Robbins appeared – which I consider a strong line up of successful people who are working to do ‘good’ in this world. So hey, why not think more like them…right?

The underlying theme to this statement, for me, is that I CANNOT control what happens to me, but I CAN control how I react to it.

The challenges that life throws at me – the angry clients; the 4th euthanasia of the day; the staff member who walks out in the middle of their shift – all of these challenges are there to help me grow and become a more emotionally enlightened person. One who is able to consciously move through life, instead of being blown about in the wind.

I want to respond to life, not react to life! How about you? I feel so powerful when I can consciously choose how I want to respond to events in my day.  The alternative is letting my emotions react in ways that cause me to feel helpless, sad or angry.

If I can be curious and ask what does this situation do FOR me instead of TO me, I can see the blessings in the trial. How can I move through this event and be more powerful, more insightful, more loving?  

How can I see the 4th euthanasia of the day as a gift – a way that life happens FOR me?:
Perhaps it is showing me the teamwork in the office.
-or- 
The abundance of love in the world. 
-or-
The strength of my ability to hold space for clients to grieve in their own way.
-or-
The honor of helping a patient cross over.  

Perhaps it also highlights areas that I could reframe my thinking when I feel like life is happening TO me?
Like if I’m overwhelmed at the thought of losing my heart animal some day.
-or-
If I’m thinking, ‘Why is this always happening on my shift!”
-or-
If I feel pressured to make everything go perfectly. 

We don’t need to brush aside all of the deep emotions we feel in a day. They are important reminders of how vast our emotional range is, and they can be used as beacons to point us in the direction of new beliefs that allow us to feel better.

So, my colleagues – it is ALWAYS our choice. We can see challenges as happening FOR us and continue to find peace and happiness in this profession, or we can see challenges as happening TO us, and struggle.

I encourage you to ask the question “Why could this be happening FOR my best interest?” the next time you face a challenge.  That question, even if you only think about it for a moment, is the beginning of feeling powerful and in charge of your life.  Dedication to asking that question daily will strengthen your ability to be a conscious creator of your life, and reap all the rewards available to you. I’d love to hear how you implement this idea in your own work life. 

If you have questions about how to make this shift in your perspective from life happening TO you to life happening FOR you, please make an appointment by clicking here and select a time we can talk!

What is a belief that you would like to let go of?
What belief is holding you back, making you feel mad, angry or frustrated, making you feel less than you know you are?
Are you ready to let it go?

2018 is a year to take your power back and feel how you want to feel.  

I believe:

Our thoughts create our emotions.
We are in charge of our thoughts.
Therefore, we are in charge of our emotions.

So what thought is creating yucky feelings for you.  Let’s take an example.  Perhaps you believe you are unappreciated at work.  What emotion does that cause in you?  Sadness?  Anger? Frustration?  Take a moment and think the thought “I am unappreciated at work.”  What sensations does that create in your body?  Where are those sensations located?  Don’t try and change anything, just notice it.  

Now, can you say for 100% certain that you are unappreciated at work? Perhaps no one says thank you but they think it.  Perhaps if we asked your co workers they would say that they really do appreciate all you do at work to make the day go smoothly.  

So, can you agree that you cannot be 100% sure you are not appreciated?  Even if you still believe you are unappreciated at work, are you ready to change that belief and feel better?

Let’s create an affirmation about this.  

“I am appreciated at work.  I am an important part of the business and I know I do my best every day.”

Let’s also think back to a time where you know you were appreciated. Maybe someone said a heartfelt thank you for something you did.  Maybe someone gave you a high five or a hug for something you did.  Think about that time and notice what emotion you feel.  Is it happiness, worthiness, joy?  Where in your body do you feel it?  

Take that memory and the feeling of your body and use it when you say your affirmation.  You do know what being appreciated feels like so create it in your body daily, multiple times.

We know that for any belief you can find evidence in your life to support it.  So when you feel unappreciated you can find times when no one thanked you, maybe times they even gave your grief.  BUT,  I suggest that you can also find at least 1 time when someone said thank you. And if not, that’s OK. You have experienced appreciation at some point in your life and you can draw on that.  As you go through the next few days and weeks using these tools I believe that you will find evidence that people do appreciate you at work right now, or at the very least, in other areas of your life.  That’s the magic of this work.  

So I want you to be conscious of what thoughts you think, what emotions they create and if those emotions are serving you or not.  If not, what thought might feel better and create an affirmation, a visualization, a memory of what it felt like and use it to create a new belief that becomes part of you.

A belief is just a thought that has been thought so much that it becomes truth.

Take your power back.  You are in charge of your thoughts.  Your thoughts create your emotions.  You are in charge of your emotions.  It takes some awareness and some discipline but I know you got this!!

If this resonated with you or you would like to explore the process more, please sign up  for a free phone conversation about something that you would like to change in your life.

You can pick your time at https://calendly.com/healthyselfdvm.