Every day I hear heart wrenching stories of pain, shame, abuse and disappointments that make life tougher for some than others. I use to wonder how some people experience challenges and disappointments with relentless tenacity to overcome while others it is their downfall? I will not say I have THE answer, I will say, I know from personal and professional experience that everyone can overcome life’s hurts, habits and hang-ups, not all choose to. People do not handle life’s challenges the same. Each time you experience a challenge, it is what you say to yourself about yourself that determines whether the situation overtakes you or you overcome it. One person is laid off their job and sees it as a sure sign of their financial ruin while another sees an opportunity to pursue their dream of starting a business that they never had the time to do while working.  The first person sees themselves as a failure and the other sees themselves as an emerging entrepreneur. Changing old destructive thinking patterns is not an easy task and in some cases requires the support of a counselor. I teach my patients step by step how to replace negative self-talk with truthful and hopeful self-talk.

Positive thinking produces positive lives. Negative thinking produces negative lives. Positive thoughts are full of life and hope. Negative thoughts are always full of fear and sadness.  Be encouraged; choose to see yourself as the over-comer you are, start today.