Self-help series blog #1 April 1,2019

Life can be hard. It can surprise us in the most disappointing ways. It can come out of nowhere and just slap us in the face without even lending a hand to get back up. It just laughs in our faces and there is nothing we can really do about it at the moment! We just have to find a way to keep going without allowing the negative to take over our headspace. Some people are more adept at this concept than others. The time it takes to move on from a blow depends on the severity and really your personality type. Aside from the negative and in a whole different realm are the great situations in our lives and the people who get the most satisfaction out of living a life based on the good things and the good times. These are the happy-go-lucky types, and I am a member of this club. My transition over to the happier side did not happen overnight, instead, it took years and my fair share of bad things before I finally told the devil on my shoulder that I had had enough of his antics. I was once thrown to the dark side and the narrow corners of depression. It's so snug in that space in your life that you feel you can barely breathe. It is a time when your tears take over and you wonder if you will ever be the same again. You wonder if the puddle of tears you are surrounded by will ever dry. All you want to do is find the light and enjoy your life again. The key to finding the light in your life is to first have confidence in yourself. I understand that that may be hard to do, especially if you have experienced others telling you that you'll never make it or be happy again. You have to be mentally prepared to put the past behind you and start embracing yourself fully. Be sure you have lots of patience. This is a journey, not an instant thing. Start looking in the mirror and praising yourself. Put yourself first. This doesn't mean you have to completely relinquish your ability to help others. It simply means to start placing a sense of importance on yourself and your emotions. Start fully appreciating your life. We get so busy and wrapped up in the chaos that we forget to appreciate the little things. We forget to admire the warm and beautiful sun when we are basking in it. We forget to take pleasure in the look and smell of the flowers around us. It is key to slow down and appreciate the smallest of things. It is when we have learned to appreciate the little things that we can begin to appreciate the bigger picture, like the fact that we are blessed enough to wake up each morning and are alive and breathing. That in itself is the biggest and brightest blessing there is! It is then once you begin to love all things that you will make the transition to being more aware and happier in life. You will never want to look back once you have learned to appreciate all things and are living at the highest potential.