Anxiety hurts everyone. And usually the person who feels it first, hurts the most.

The pain and worry can come out of nowhere. Anxiety can be socially triggered, or it can come from inner expectations and worry.

The crazy thing about anxiety is that while it feels uncontrollable, that lie is actually its secret weapon. The lie of “lack of control” is the lie we need to ignore. Control is available to anyone who takes it.

Anxiety can cause depression.

Anxiety can trigger stress.

Brutal truth? Stress isn’t caused by events.

Stress is caused by your own interpretation of events.

While not a solution for everyone, there are some magical ways to overcome anxiety.

We can’t change most of our situations. So there is only one option left:

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” – Viktor E. Frankl

Every thought we have is a response to something else. Learning to recognize and understand these thoughts lets us live a fuller life.

The Process

One of the most magical solutions to many problems each of us face is to write a journal. Write to learn from yourself as you learn from your experiences. As we write, we are forced to examine our true thoughts and the foundational motivations behind them. Writing is expressive and reflective at the same time. We get to share, but more important, we grow to know ourselves.

The more we know ourselves, the less anxiety we will feel. The more we write the better we will feel. If we write daily, we can reduce our anxiety daily as well. When we write we learn.

Since January 1, 2017 I have written and published something every single day. Here is what I learned in September:

SEPTEMBER 1, 2017 – Someone Cares

When someone cares: you know it. You can feel it. Try to be the person that others know cares.

Thank you for caring Martin, Happy Birthday Son.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2017 – Lighting Our Senses

Light allows us to connect our senses. What we sense and feel and can be connected to what we see. When the light we have is good and in the right amount, we make better decisions. Be that light for others. Show them the way, allow them to make decisions, but be there for them to help them grow

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 – Power Thoughts

The only power someone has over your mind is the power you give them. You are in ultimate control since you are the owner, controller, and only participant inside your thoughts. What you let in is important, who you let in is more important. You have complete power over your thoughts.

SEPTEMBER 4, 2017 – Labor

Work is more than enough. Working is better than any other alternative. Cherish the ability to provide good work. The better work you do, the more you can help others. Helping others matters more than anything else. As you labor for yourself, and you labor for your family, you also labor for them.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017 – Perfection Eliminates Your Options

Nothing is perfect. Yet, we beat ourselves up for not being perfect. Expecting perfection from yourself only hurts your journey. When you begin to accept life gets so much better. When you stop criticizing yourself, the path to progress is so much more fruitful. All the doors become open when you allow the possibility of choice instead of only choosing perfection.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 – More Beautiful

The beauty of life is all around you. Everything has beauty. When you start to recognize beauty, your ability to see more beauty increases. Your senses expand and your perspective widens. Beauty creates. Beauty enlivens. Search for beauty and appreciate beauty and your will find it, your life will become more beautiful.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2017 – Getting Stronger

Your strength is stronger the more you test it. The only time it breaks is when you stop using it. Then it becomes brittle and you can crack, the more you exercise your ability to choose, your ability to keep pressing on the more strength you will find. Strength is earned through repeated action and you can have continual growth if you keep moving.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2017 – Choose Hope

Our life is determined by our choices. What we believe determines how we decide. Hard choices are part of life. Not choosing is a choice. Life is always worse when we decide not to choose. Choices create reality. Reality can be magical if we choose to believe and have hope. Hopelessness is a choice. The more we choose to believe and act with hope, the more our actions will match and thus create the reality that we desire.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2017 – Anger Management

Anger spent on others is wasted. Anger spent on bettering yourself is useful. Learn to harness your anger to create positive change. Flip the anger from fear and pain to one of change and motivation and choose to show love along the way. Each thought begets more similar thoughts.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2017 – Changes Bring Pain

Fulfilling potential requires great change. Changing views, perspectives, opinions and actions are all required. ALL CHANGE HURTS, if done right. When we want to become better, we need to be willing to suffer the pain that comes with the growth.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 – We All Break

We are all fragile. We are all breakable. Different things break different people. Do not judge others because they are broken by something that wouldn’t break you. Just like the game we all used to play “Rock, Paper, Scissors”, each person is strong and each person is weak. Focus on the strengths and help those around you to not break.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 – Different Journey, Same Path

The same journey is never the same journey. If you keep looking for new lessons, you will learn something new. We take for granted the simple things in life. We underestimate the power of each sunrise, flower, rock, and tree. We devalue the love of those we are closest to. The more we learn to appreciate, the more we will learn, and the more our journey will be enriched.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 – Show You Care

Life is too short to take relationships for granted. Do not think because you have someone today, you will have them tomorrow. This is not just for family but especially true for all business relationships. Show your colleagues, clients, partners, and mentors you care.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 – Free from Everything

We are supposed to be free and content. Pain, jealousy and anger are like chains the bind. Freedom is when you are emotionally at peace. When you accept what is, and forget what isn’t, then you are truly free.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2017 – Plastic Seduction

Finding joy in spite of misunderstanding helps us see the world as it should be seen. Misunderstanding often arises when we see something one way, when truly it is another. When something looks real and ends up being fake. What we feel is real, often isn’t. What we see as true, often is a lie. Plastic does not create; it does not produce. It is used to seduce. Step back and think, step back into yourself. Let your brain relax so your soul can soar.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2017 – Falling Leaves

Renewal is any change that helps us progress. When the leaves change, they might be dying, but the tree is growing. Sometimes we need to let go of the bad, to truly grow. We need to cut of what is holding us back even though we love it, it order to allow room for the good we seek.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2017 – Beautiful Love

We can all learn to Love. When you love someone, you want for them what they want for themselves. When you love someone, you forget to be selfish. When you love someone, your own desires evaporate in an effort to lift and support another. I am thankful I am loved by those closest to me. Thankful for the opportunity to learn to love more.

Happy Birthday Emilie, Thank You for Loving Me, I Love You.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 – Listen and Grow

Listening to others is the best way to grow relationships. Listening to learn. Listening to feel. Listening to care. Listening to connect. Listen to everyone and watch every relationship you have get better.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 – Changing for Others

Changing to help others is a long-term process. We must do it every day. We must focus on it every day. Change is hard. Changing for the wrong reasons is even harder. When you truly want to help someone, you will change. Help yourself first though.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 – Share What You Have

What you carry with you determines the level of help you provide to others. It is only possible to share what you have. If someone needs your love, give it. If someone needs your light, share it. Share what they need so you can give them what they want. You are enough. Bring your complete self and share without reservation.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 – Determined to be Determined

Determination means you don’t give up when something is hard. Determination is when you stick to your values no matter the consequences. Determination is grounded in belief and created by action and motivated by commitment.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2017 – Appreciate & Appreciate

It doesn’t matter if you are appreciated. It only matters if you appreciate. You need to show appreciation and you need to keep improving yourself. Not for the praise of others, but so you can better praise others. So you can better serve and better love. Those who give the most are the most satisfied. Always. Appreciate your blessings. Appreciate your value.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017 – What to Trust

What you trust is just as important as who you trust. Trust in effort, trust in determination, trust in commitment. Do not trust in superiority, do not trust pride, do not trust intelligence. Those who trust the wrong things get beaten. Those who trust in actions and trust in resilience will succeed. Those who trust in their own greatness are easily conquered and underestimate the value of everyone else. Think about others first and put actions toward goals to accomplish dreams.

SEPTEMBER 24, 2017 – Looking Closer

If something looks perfect, you know to be careful. If something seems flawless, question everything. Nothing is perfect and no one is flawless. Those who try to pretend they are, are actually hiding the most. You never know what is hiding behind the fresh paint or under the clean table cloth. Look closer. Trust your intuition.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 – Transformational Opportunity

Each new challenge is a magical opportunity to transform yourself. There are no perfect situations, but you can create perfect moments with incredible outcomes. Be definite in your plans and definite in your decisions. Each day, the battle is won when you adapt, change, and grow.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 – Directional Growth

We grow in the direction of what we value. If want to be better, we will be better because we will surround ourselves with the best people. We will place value on learning, and on helping. As long as we are pointed in the right direction, everything will turn out fine.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017 – Looking Back

There are two ways to look back. With learning and love, or with pain and regret. How you look back is how you will be positioned to go forward. Look forward with hope and faith by learning from the past.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 – Walk with Courage

Walking through new places doesn’t have to mean it is unfamiliar. We can connect our past with our present to create new understanding. New experiences are chances for our old history to be made useful. Walk with courage as you enter new corridors.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 – Duties Do Not Define

Your responsibilities don’t define you. You are not what your assigned to do. How you do what you do is much more important. Enthusiasm is what defines you. Passion and concern is what defines you. Define yourself with your effort and care.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2017 – Others Make It Better

Your life is better when you think about others. Your life is worse when you are worried about your own ego, your own material possessions, your own failures. If you want a better life, think about others and how you can make life better for them. Show you care by what you do. Show your inside by what you do on the outside.

Bringing it all together…

“Human connection is the number one driver of success and satisfaction. We can all help each other.”

Call to action:

Let’s connect!