I know that there are times when everything looks dark, and it's hard to see that your life will ever be joyful again. Through the years, I've worked with many people who have been in this harsh, painful place. They sometimes have been able to change the situations they're in, such as leaving an abusive relationship, or quitting a job that they hate. Other times, they've realized that they can't change the outward things, but they've discovered the power that comes from shifting their focus and attitude. It's important to remember that life constantly changes. Everyone will have challenges in life, but they will also have periods of happiness. We need to keep moving forward through the hard times, to get to those more joyful moments. One of my favorite books is called, "Keep Going: The Art of Perseverance" by Joseph Marshall, III. It's a book that I recommend quite often to clients. It's about an elder in the Lakota Tribe, who shares a wealth of wisdom with a young man, who's full of grief. The young man asks why life has to be so difficult, and the elder tells him that "life is a journey, sometimes walked in light, sometimes in shadow." He continues on to say, "Being strong means taking one more step toward the top of the hill, no matter how weary you may be...Each step, no matter how difficult, is one step closer to the top of the hill. To keep hope alive for one more heartbeat at a time, leads to the light of the next sunrise, and the promise of a new day." Can you look back on times when you kept going -- times when you didn't give up? What did you learn from those experiences that might help you the next time a dark period comes? Whether you can change the situation, or need to adapt your outlook, I trust that each journey will teach you to be stronger, wiser, and ultimately more trusting of the future. Until next time, Linda

A man sitting alone looking worried or unhappy

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