Perspective: Sometimes It’s All in the Way I Choose to Receive It.
Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought you were fat?
Then the next day you finally decide to exercise. You look in the mirror again and suddenly it doesn’t seem as bad as it did yesterday.
I do this a lot lately.
Maybe you do too.
Sometimes I feel guilty for not exercising for days — maybe even a week. I’m not eating the right things. Cheating. You know… the junk-food blues.
I slept late.
I just don’t feel that good.
Then I look in the mirror with this shame.
The regret.
Finally, a day or two later, I decide to forgive myself and shake it off.
I shave.
Brush my teeth.
Take a shower.
Then I do a brief meditation, with a little stretching and exercise.
And suddenly—
Wow.
Now I feel better.
The next morning I roll out of bed, look in the mirror, and see a totally different man.
Isn’t that amazing?
Nothing really changed in the last 24 hours.
I’m still the same guy. Same weight.
But somehow everything feels different.
And the crazy part is, I do this to myself all the time — with all kinds of things.
Like when I think I have a headache… or a belly ache.
I spend all this time focusing on this thing. Building energy around it. Feeding the thought. The emotion grows bigger and bigger.
Then maybe I take a pill and shift my attention somewhere else.
A few minutes later… it’s gone.
Was it the pill?
Or was it the placebo effect?
Did I even need to take the pill?
Do you know what I’m talking about?
I had a belly ache…
Then I focused on something else…
And suddenly it disappeared.
Why?
Maybe I passed a little gas or changed my body position.
Maybe nothing changed at all.
Okay then.
Now let’s throw Myositis into this mix — or any chronic illness for that matter.
What happens then?
Do those feelings and emotions get magnified?
Ten times?
Twenty?
Yeah.
I believe they do.
Now I’m not saying the pain isn’t real.
We all know that’s not how it works.
I’m only saying this:
Sometimes we magnify the situation by letting our emotions take over.
So maybe we try something different.
The next time I feel bad — or those negative thoughts start building — maybe I try to notice it.
Become aware of it.
Then shift my focus to something else.
Something better.
Something positive.
You know…
Happy thoughts.
What do you think would happen then?
I guess there’s only one way to find out.
