Problems Versus Opportunities

When you focus on problems, you’ll have more problems.

When you focus on possibilities, you’ll have more opportunities.

- TheDailyQuotes.com

If you’re in a negative mood, this quote can incite you to do a giant raspberry with rude gestures at it. At least, based on my own experience it can. ;-)

However, that doesn’t take away from the message’s truth. In fact, it affirms it.

Case in point: I have a chronic, lifelong disease: I have Type 1 Diabetes. There are spans of time where everything’s running well. I test my blood sugar, I dose insulin, I live my life and that’s that. Day in and day out, a comfortable, if imperfect, pattern can be maintained.

Then there are other spans where everything’s off. I pork out, I overdose insulin, I underdose insulin, I get hurt so I don’t exercise, I get stressed out and again I pork out and/or enjoy a beer or two or... Rinse and repeat.

Believe it or not, there are times when I feel a level of gratitude for having this body error. It’s trained me to feel my body in ways that others probably don’t or just can’t. It’s taught me to be grateful for all the amazing biochemical processes our bodies do on a daily basis: thousands of things that just happen without our knowledge but without which, we’d die. To me, it’s amazing our bodies work as well as they do! It’s humbling- we think we’re so smart. However, with diabetes, I myself must do what other people's bodies take care of automatically. Sometimes I’m good at it and sometimes, I fail miserably. There came a time when I set a bar and thought, “This is as good as it’s going to get.”.

Over the last 4-5 months I’ve pulled myself up to the best physical and mental shape I’ve ever been in, if I do say so myself. Other people inspired me. I had a mental shift. I saw opportunities. Growth mindset, one might say.

Each person has to be open to the possibilities/opportunity-based mindset. It doesn’t happen overnight nor is it likely to stay forever. We’re all in an awe-inspiring, ever-changing and intricate dance, as I’ve written before. We go up, we go down, we go back up once again.

Possibilities and opportunities. They may come in unexpected forms and uncomfortable times but we will never fail to become stronger if we can see life in those terms.