You’re special as you are, even if you don’t believe it now.  I saw this in context to a woman having a panic attack and her significant other comforting her at the height of the event.  Human beings live with something called the recency bias which is the thought that the way things are is how they will always be.  I haven’t done enough research to know where that comes from, but I know we all know that feeling of the bad day settling over us and we think this is simply how it will always be.  In those moments we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, we are most likely to start repeating patterns and thoughts we know—we default to current neural wiring. If we’ve spent our lives thinking we are nothing and other negative things, that spiral is where we find ourselves.  We have to keep perspective—and as someone who deals with anxiety I know how hard that is—that what is in front of us doesn’t have to stay the same.

We need to reconcile what we feel with what we know.  Emotions are some of the most powerful forces on Earth.  They determine how we react and all variety of next moves we make.  The ability to monitor, manage, and master our emotions makes all the difference in the world.  Keeping the belief that all is well and that what is coming is greater than what we left behind, knowing that our worth isn’t determined by other’s opinions, trusting that our inner guidance will get us where we need to go and we will know what to do with it are all key.  The biggest lesson we need to remember is that the story we tell ourselves is the story we play out.  More important is knowing that we can change that story at any time.  We don’t cope well with the idea that we are enough in a society that thinks competing for the same things and who acquires the most is what determines who we are.  We don’t only deal with recency bias, we deal with a sort of mob mentality where we have to go with what everyone tells us.  It’s an act of rebellion to go against the norm. 

The bottom line is that no one can tell us what we feel or set the limit on who we are unless we let them.  No one can tell our story unless we let them.  No one can see our future, and even if they think they can, we are under no obligation to follow that road no matter who they are.  We are at the helm.  As we talked about yesterday, we can change that narrative and shift that direction at any time.  We just have to believe we can and we need to believe in the power of our ability to be who we are meant to be.  We create those moments, the opportunities, the light at the end of the tunnel and we make them real by taking action on them.  We are all special.  We are all worth it.  We all have unique abilities that need to be celebrated and recognized.  One difficult moment doesn’t determine the course of the rest of our lives unless we let it.  It is no different than a positive moment changing our lives—if we don’t act on it then nothing happens.  The choice is ours and we need to remember that now isn’t forever and the results come from what we choose to act on.