You know how an instant can change your whole world for better or for worse?  Anthony J D’Angelo is quoted as saying “The greatest gift you can give yourself is a little bit of your own attention”. This is not only an important aspect of living a healthy, truly fortunate and meaningful life but it is also crucial for personal well-being and happiness.

It’s scary, and sometimes sad and frustrating, when you are experiencing limitations that you do not believe other people experience, at least in that moment. And comparing your situation to anybody else’s situation will always prove ineffective. Always. It is important to look inside yourself and know that at the same time you think your world is crashing, there are so many positive things that you will be offered in this lifetime that other people will not be lucky enough to.  Like kindness, a sense of humor, a great mind or whatever it looks like for you personally. Be grateful for all opportunities and try, as hard as it may be at times, to find the silver lining, the good that can come out of a situation regardless of how it may feel in the moment.

I recently had an experience where I was met with the challenge of understanding what my limitations are and knowing when it may ruin a good time if ignored for too long.  We went to Disney World, which was a truly magical time for my family and I am forever grateful to have had the chance to experience this together.  If you have ever been to Disney World then you understand that early mornings, long days and a lot of Florida sunshine and heat are a part of the experience. It also reminded me that I needed to recognize, accept, and be truthful with regard to my own limitations. A quiet day at the pool by myself was just what I needed on one of the days.  It was incredibly hard to know my husband and daughter were out there playing at a huge Disney waterpark and I was missing it, but it was a much-needed day off from anything AT ALL.  Recognizing this need led to a fun night when they returned where I could listen to their stories from a very relaxed, comforted, and overall healthier place.  If I don’t do that, I fear that one bad day where my limits are ignored will lead to a couple (or more) bad days where I am unable to enjoy anything at all.

I believe that there is not a person in this world that does not struggle in one aspect of life or another, whether it be physical, emotional, social or even spiritual.  The important part is recognizing where you struggle and pulling out every card in the world that you have at your disposal and make your situation as encouraging as possible.  Not only empowering yourself to accept your limitations and to understand your own personal struggles but to also know and recognize the importance of your strengths. It is of course okay to have a bad day, in fact, some of the worst days I have had in life are also the same days that I can look back on and think of how much I learned on that day.  I have learned what I am capable of and I have learned how my focus needs to be on the things I do well in life, like how much I care for people and want to improve the lives and days of the people around me….even on days where the only thing I have to give is a smile.