Ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive!

Here's a nice bit I came across on a blog written by the blogger Urban Native Girl:

One of the best things that I did for this birthday was to start a new habit. Early Friday morning I woke up and took out my journal (yes I am old school like that - I still like a pen and paper) and started a list. I think most people get stressed out about birthdays because they really think about all the things that they haven't accomplished yet. Like when I hit xyz age, I will have completed these degrees, bought this kind of car, and that kind of real estate, etc., etc. This really sets us up for feeling at a loss and not feeling good about our lives and our birthdays.

So I took out my pen and wrote down all of the awesome things I have accomplished. Whether they be big or small, but things that make me feel happy, proud, and excited about life. Then I took stock of them and gave thanks for having such a full and blessed life. So what if I haven't done my masters yet? I'll get to it eventually, and while I am still a work in progress, I can give thanks for all the blessings in my life.

Isn't that a good idea? And for anyone who still feels they just haven't accomplished much, well, it often stands in relation to the number of tough things you've had to go through in life. So we should add Survival to our list of accomplishments. Walking through hell, and making it out the other side, is
something to celebrate.

I knew someone once who was feeling bad about his little bit of overweightness. But in the last few years he'd stopped smoking, and overcome both alcohol and drug addiction, and also got his mental illness under control. I was like "And now you're beating yourself up over a few pounds? Ease!" He'd already accomplished more in one lifetime than many of us do.