2017 has started off very busy in my household.  We sold the house we have lived in since 2003 and moved into our forever home late last month. Lots of packing and moving has kept us busy.  February started with our daughter coming down with strep and flu at the same time.  Then I traveled with my brothers to Vegas for the Vegas Shoot which is one of the largest archery competitions in the world and was gone for a week. Upon arriving home yesterday I learned my son needs his wisdom teeth removed ASAP.  So next week along with the biggest cheer competition of the season for my daughter I will be taking care of our son's oral surgery recovery needs.  I mention all of this only to say 2017 has started with twists and turns at every corner, many that I didn't see coming.  I have needed a reminder on several days to adjust my perspective of my environment.  I assume there may some of you who have similar needs so this article is for you. Enjoy!

There are days when it can be difficult to be optimistic and joyful.  We seem to get overwhelmed by life's challenges and ever increasing responsibilities some days. Our perspective of our environment may need an adjustment from time to time. Here are a few tips which may help you during the hard days:

When faced with a challenge, do your best to limit the worry or fear time and quickly move to finding solutions.  The more time you spend worrying about a problem it makes the problem appear bigger and takes you away from finding the solution sooner.

When you need to vent about a problem or need help with determining the best solution find the ONE person who can help you or who will listen to you.  But quickly move from venting to forgiveness or acceptance depending on the situation.

When worried about something outside of your control ask yourself this question "Can I fix this, change this or make this situation any better?"  If so then fix it, change it or make it better.  If not, then focus on something else that needs your attention.  Dwelling on things outside of our control leads to doubt, fear and worry.  It also can be a tremendous time waster which takes us away from our goals and reduces productivity.

When overcome by deadlines and mountains of responsibilities, prioritize your day to conquer the mountain one step at a time.  Be deliberate in your attempt and spend time making progress instead of excuses.

When feeling inadequate or unworthy remember to take a moment to remind yourself of the things you truly love and value about yourself. Write those things down in your journal.

At the end of a hard day, give yourself the freedom to willingly find one good moment from that day to reflect on before ending the day. For example if you have had a hard day at work take a moment to find something good to take away - helping a co-worker, accomplishing a simple yet important task, a meaningful conversation with a stranger which lead to insight or self-reflection, a time you took ownership or initiative, lessons learned through the difficulty which will lead to future successes.  Make the time to find a success from each day so you can close the day with confidence which will make you more likely look forward to tomorrow.

No matter who you are, there will be days which are challenging, complex, fearful and hard.  We all have those days.  It is when we choose our thoughts and actions with the objective to build our Self-Image and focus on our successes and solutions that we can move forward with confidence and direction.

When I reflect on the past 42 years of my life I realize the times when I felt most tested and challenged were definitely the times I grew the most and I know I still have so much more to learn. Try not to run from obstacles, instead learn to find the opportunity in the midst of the difficulties in the journey. We learn more from our struggle up the mountain than we do standing on the summit.  Here's to an incredible, meaningful and worthwhile climb!

Written by:  Mental Management Instructor - Heather Sumlin

heather@mentalmanagement.com