Life is often challenging, no two ways about it, but we have choices in 
everything we do (even when it doesn’t feel like it). We can choose to be happy or sad, angry or calm, to give or to take; we make decisions and then have to live with them.
So what if we chose to look past life’s challenges and be thankful instead? Is that even possible?
Who can honestly find something to be thankful for when the kids are driving you nuts, when your partner is not giving you the time you desire, when someone deceives you or when work is so busy you can’t breathe… How can you get past the ‘stuff’ and the feelings that surface?
Sometimes we see or hear a story that helps us to realise just how fortunate we are and how minor our issues are. When I saw the video below for the first time (a few years ago) I had one of those moments. I was moved by the young boy’s story more than his voice but his voice meant so much more after hearing his story and I remember thinking ‘wow, to have gone through so much, so young and still be thankful’. And he is not alone. There are people everywhere going through challenging situations yet still finding something to be thankful for; the start of a new day, another chance for things to change, a new friendship or a new way of thinking.
The words of the song are also poignant because this young boy sees past all the hardships he has experienced (with no hate, revenge or anger in mind), to dream for something much better for everyone:
‘I dream of a place to lie that is always free… like a cloud that floats.
Full of humanity in the depths of the soul
In my fantasy I see a bright world where each night there is less darkness
I dream of souls that are always free like the cloud that floats’
My takeaway was simply this; the next time life throws a curve-ball my way and I feel angry, hurt or fed up I will ask myself what is more important, the issue or my ability to know in faith a solution will follow, even if am unable to see it in that moment. But also to acknowledge that even though there is an issue, there is so much more in my life to be thankful for beyond it; I can decide where I put my focus. I get to decide to look beyond life’s challenges… And be thankful. What will you do?
Live Blissfully
YvonneB
Published by YvonneB
A catalyst for change, Yvonne Bignall is a breath of fresh air in the extraordinary way she helps brilliant midlife women reconnect with their innate power through radical self-care, guilt-free!
She supports, encourages, and inspires women to prioritise their health, one bitesize action at a time. Her work is challenging as it navigates through difficult conversations, listening & observing how women’s health issues have been:
❊ Undermined
❊ Under-resourced &
❊ Swept under the carpet
She helps women to recognise & unpack old scripts that still (sadly enough) tell them that their value derives from their level of caregiving of others, their output. The truth is it is the input, the ability to resource self, which provides women with the energy required to realise their true potential.
Along with her team, she explores the thoughts, behaviour & habits, often born out of guilt, gender expectations, and reinforced narratives, with curiosity (not judgment), discarding the unhelpful, whilst reclaiming innate power through the creation of new patterns, restoring a sense of self, outside of societal expectations. In her opinion, this allows women to:
✔ Develop an elevated level of self-awareness
✔ Build / rebuild their confidence & self-belief
✔ Value all of who they are and invest time in who they want to be at their best
A self-care warrior, an encourager & inspirer, Yvonne is today an award-winning Women’s Health Advocate, Published Author, and an International Presenter. She is also a Radio Show Host and a Podcaster.
Yvonne is focused on building a community of women, www.PermissionToThrive.online, who are ready to reclaim their right to self-care, guilt-free, and who prioritise their health without apology, role-modeling behaviour & habits that inform generations to come of their true value.
She also advocates for self-care over burnout in the workplace, delivering practical webinars in the corporate space. In her own words, “It is time for employees to prioritise their wellbeing. How will they deliver their best work without it?”
One of her favourite quotes comes from Eleanor Brown, ‘Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel’
Connect with Yvonne and,
🌱 Become part of the self-care revolution at Permission to Thrive or
📞 Book a chat to find out about her coaching and corporate services: https://calendly.com/yvonne-b/20min
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Being Your Best You 