Staying Grateful Through Adversity

I would like to share with you a short story that I start the book with: One day I was on my way to an appointment, angry at the day and disgruntled that I had to take time out of my day to make this appointment. Upon entering the double doors of the building, I saw a young man in a wheelchair, he was apparently in it for life by the look of his legs, and even though he was in a wheelchair, most likely for life, he had a genuine smile on his face and you could just see the pure happiness and love that radiated from his being. Now here I was, walking around and “I” was in a bad mood just because I was having what I considered a bad day? I was floored. That image of that young man smiling left a deep impression on me that I will never forget. I quickly became grateful that I could walk, that I didn’t have to be in a wheelchair; that I could be independent. After seeing him, I was grateful for a couple weeks easy, but didn’t know that I could, or how to make that gratitude last. Later in life, I learned what that young man had obviously learned and which I apparently hadn’t at that point. I didn’t have the right “Perspective” of life, and this was causing me problems. Staying grateful starts with an understanding that it is a matter of choice that determines our inside quality of life, it does not depend on whether we have a great life on the outside. It is a choice that determines our level of gratitude. I believe our happiness is in direct proportion to how grateful we are. We can choose to have a great inner life with peace, joy and contentment by focusing on that which we can honestly say we are grateful for. We have many things to be grateful for so this not a problem. The solutions to life and its adversity are within us. We can overcome any and all adversity and maintain a high level of gratitude the vast majority of the time. Let's look at Kristopher Reeve. Here he went from being very successful in movies and wealth only to become paralyzed. He did not whimper and complain, he found it within himself to be a role model for us all and overcome his adversity and used it to benefit others in his condition! He did not have a great outer life, he had a great inner life. It is this inner life I bring to light here. How do you have a great life? Not by making tons of money, but by finding that inner strength and putting it to work for you. I have cancer, it is in remission, but it will not completely go away. I have bipolar disorder, which I have learned to manage. I have PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from my childhood, but have learned to cope with it. I have arthritis from working too hard most of my life on construction jobs. I have hypothyroidism and need medication for that. I have dyslexia, but that doesn't stop me from writing books! I have elevated eye pressure, which I need to apply drops to my eyes to ward off glaucoma. I have additional health problems and I am at the ripe old age of 46! With all that said, I am happy anyway. I am grateful for my life and the time I have now and that I have had here on this earth. I intentionally look for good things and I find them. I focus on the positive and in turn I stay grateful. There are eleven factors that have the strongest influence in how we perceive life. Most of the time we have to examine these eleven areas and work at bringing them into line with our decision to be grateful. That is what sets this book apart from any other that may discuss being grateful. I explore these eleven areas with you and shed light on various practical ways anyone can stay grateful through adversity.