What You Give is What You Get

Today's lesson: Life really is all what you make it.

Today I was oh so fortunate to finally have this dreaded cough/cold catch up to me and knock me out of the running for my fresh start.  Here I had my alarm set for 5 am so I could get up and go for a run, start my lifestyle change, and have a great beginning of the week...and I'm still tossing and turning coughing up my entire respiatory system at 3:30 am. 

Despite this awful way to start my week, I spent the entire day in bed taking time to reflect my life and truly appreciate my chance to have a fresh start.  Everything in life is affected by the way your attitude is.  What you give, is what you will get.  

When I was younger, my parents got a divorce.  For many years I hated this fact, and as a child resented things way beyond my contorl or comprehension.  It wasn't until I was 10 years old that I finally realized just what God was thinking when he knew my parents wouldn't be together forever.  I was blessed beyond words with the family that I got, I wouldn't ask for it any other way.  The difference in my view was that after I saw the reason behind the divorce, I was blessed.  It wasn't long after that I began living my life with that same principle, with the difference of not resenting bad situations, just accepting them and anticipating the blessing that would soon come from it.  Some call it a blessing, others would soon grow sick of my optimistic attitude, but those were the people I didn't want to attract into my life in the first place.  

I think I got this attitude from my mother, she's always been optimistic...and sometimes one could say "obnoxiously optimistic."  Just the other day, I was texting her about how frustrated I was that the store was staying open late because customers didn't know how to read the 'Hours Open' sign.  She replied back, "Deep breath honey, those customers keep you in a job!"  I smirked and thought to myself "What a peppy brat she is today, I just want to be negative!" But eventually, the day ended perfect.  We did stay late, but the extra thirty minutes of pay tacked onto my paycheck were spent sitting in a rocking chair up front talking to my co-workers about life.  Some of the easiest money I've ever made!

So that's what I want to get across tonight...that there is something great that can and will come out of EVERY situation, even if it takes a few years before you get to see it -- its worth the wait.  They say life is what you make it, and they are more than right.  So take whatever negative thing you're dealing with today and imagine what great things might come from it! 

**One more thing: Even if you fake a smile for a whole minute, more times than not it will stick :) Try it sometime!

That's all folks!

Arianne Elizabeth