| Fact | List a problem in your life | Fact | List a problem in your life |
| Focus (what you don't like) | What are your thoughts when you focus on what you don’t like? | Focus (what you do like) | What are your thoughts when you focus on what you do like? |
| Feeling | What feeling does this make you feel? | Feeling | What feeling does this make you feel? |
*Note: I am not saying you have to like the problem, but we can find appreciation within our challenges. For example, when I lost my husband, I was always able to remain grateful that he chose me to share his life with. I didn’t anticipate his loss but wouldn’t have changed being with him, even though losing him ended up being a part of being with him. Or, while I had planned many more years with him, I am grateful I got as much time as I did with him. It's a shift of focus to what you do have within what you don't.
What did this make you realize about how your feelings relate to the facts in your life?
Bonus Best Practice: Do this with a number of facts in your life. What scares one person is exciting for another. What is a blessing to one person is a curse for another, and the only difference is the meaning each person puts behind things. So re-shift your focus and see how you can begin to respond to life’s challenges in an empowering way.
| Fact | There is no bus service to/from high school for my children | Fact | There is no bus service to/from high school for my children |
| Focus (what you don't like) | I don't like having to get up and be functional early in the morning to drive them to school. And then I have to interrupt my afternoon to pick them up - sometimes at different times if one has an after school activity | Focus (what you do like) | Twice a day I get their undivided attention for 7 minutes while we are driving to or from school. And I get to see my niece every afternoon since I am her ride home. |
| Feeling | rushed; chaotic; interrupted. | Feeling | love for my children; laughter (they usually have a joke or a funny story to tell) |
I realize that most "problems" in my life are first world problems. While they may be an inconvenience to me, I have the ability to take care of them. And for most problems, there is a benefit that I can choose to see.
