The rainy days of life

As I look outside today, the clouds are dark and rain is tapping on my window.  For most, rain is an easy excuse to complain – “Oh, this weather is terrible!”  But we need to take the rainy days with the sunny ones and appreciate each day for the gifts that they hold.  We can’t let external things, like the weather, control our mood for the day, we must create our own mood! Each day we have the power to construct our mindset and outlook on life.  So today, as I see the rain coming down, I think, “Wow, we needed the rain to make the flowers and trees grow.  I could use a day to work on paper work inside the house rather than working outside.”  Rainy days are often the best ones for getting friends together to watch a movie, or reading a good book in bed!  One trick that I use is to not get out of bed before I think of at least one positive thing that the day will hold for me, and then I smile!  Creating this positive moment first thing makes a huge difference in the day.  When it becomes habit and we do this every day, amazing things can really happen – rain or shine!

Metaphorically speaking, we’ve all had rainy or stormy periods in our lives.  Do you remember how you came through them? I bet it wasn’t by complaining constantly and thinking negatively all the time.  At some point, you shifted your thoughts to sunny, positive ones.  All it takes is that first positive thought.  After that, the rest come easily!  It’s like a chain reaction.  When I was outside this morning in the rain, it was rather gloomy.  But then, there was just one little ray of sunshine that happened to peak through the clouds and I looked up at it and smiled.  The first positive thought.  Then I turned and looked in the opposite direction.  There was a huge double rainbow over my farm.  The chain reaction!  One little glimmer of positivity lead to more and more optimism.

We cannot allow the rain and storms (literal or metaphorical) to create our mindset in life.  We must be the ones to generate our own positive outlook, no matter the weather.  Storms will always come and they will always pass.  They are part of nature and are gifts of life.  In nature, storms wash out the old, dying parts of nature and make room for new life.  In our own personal lives, we often need storms to  help us realize we needed to change and make room for new beginnings.

Out with the negative and in with the positive!  Allow yourself to see the beauty of the next rain storm; remember rainbows only appear in the presence of rain.

Claire Affleck
Claire Affleck Training website
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