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There are times, for all of us, when life seems very overwhelming and difficult. At these times, it seems to be as difficult to stay in the moment and not let your thoughts carry you back to the negative space.

I remember one of the first times I tried to “stay in the moment” when I was overwhelmed and upset. I was successful for just that, a moment!  But over time, I got good at shifting my thoughts toward the more positive ones. In the case of being really upset or annoyed, I would have to just stop thinking about the subject all together .

One helpful thought for me has always been, “I am not going to think that this is extremely important in a month or so”. Another is learning what I can from the situation. If it is happening to me, then there is a reason. This helps me not to blame others.

Come up with your own way to deal with the negative situations. Over time it starts to change you for the better and brings out your higher self. It also allows you to move forward  more easily.

There was a time, a few years back, when I started working on changing my life starting with my head. I no longer wanted negative thoughts to run my emotions and decisions.

I took one subject at a time.

For example, I wanted to be able stop blaming life for my hardships and truly believed this was possible. Even though I could not fully understand why terrible things happened, I thought there must be some way I could understand more.

I searched for my own philosophy, what I really believed about why I was here in this world and how life really worked. It is not something I share with most people because I think we all need to discover what works for them. What works for me, doesn’t necessarily work for others.

To start, all you have to do is be more aware of what you want to find and become more conscious. Staying positive makes the journey a lot more fun and successful.

Last weekend, after my talk at the Burn Survivors Dance, I went to the beach with Sheldon.  We walked for about 30-45 minutes, the sun was shining and I felt great. It had been a wonderful end to a great weekend.

After coming home, I realized how long it had been since I was walking on the beach. I realized also that I had not been living outside of my physical condition all that much over the last 6 years. I was so focused on reaching my goals so I could do things and be more comfortable at the same time.

It was the first time I remembered being comfortable, happy, and fulfilled all at the same time. Fulfilled because I had reached some significant goals, and knowing that I had found that someone special to share my life with. It certainly was the most satisfying feeling I have had in a long, long time.

So much good comes from the challenges, do you really NOT want to face them?

Yesterday was one of the best days of my life. Everything I had been waiting for, working for and feeling for, all came together. The icing on the cake was meeting the Donor’s daughter, Marinda. What a beautiful person she is. What a selfless thing she did for me when her life was the toughest it had ever been.

It was so special to me to meet her, hug her, and appreciate all the good that keeps flowing into my life. Having Sheldon by my side since January, has made my great life even better.

I am really starting to wonder, can things get any better for me? I hope so, just to prove to myself that I can control a lot of what is going on by the choices I am making every day, although I am very satisfied with how my life is going!

I want more of those days, more of meeting great people like Marinda and Sheldon. There is no other place I want to be except, right here, right now, living in this moment!

Kristin, a great supporter of mine who works for my publisher, Round Table Companies, has created a discussion guide that goes along with my book.

I think this is a wonderful idea for others to use my story to help each other. The Guide covers each chapter and asks questions that provoke thought, solutions, and reflection.

This Guide can also be used in all kinds of groups, from book clubs to therapy and anything in between. The thought of people gathering together, discussing how my story can potentially help them or at least give them some significant insights, inspires me.

Let me know if any of you are involved in any discussions using this Guide, which is available for free download here.  I would love to hear about it.

When you take a good look around, you can see, we all have some kind of limitation. Some have something physical, some mental or emotional. I do believe that we all can find ways around our limitations, therefore removing them.

I felt, at one time, I had way too many to overcome but I have seen through my own efforts that changing the way you do something, or just thinking differently, can help you start to find solutions.

The lack of normal vision is always the easiest thing for me to talk about, but my limitations were at one time in all areas of my life. I remember being scared of being home alone. I did not want that fear to limit what I could do for myself so I had to make a decision to move forward even with the fear.

Fear has always been a factor in working through any issues I want to solve. Even when the fear of something is a little far fetched, it still can be a struggle for me. I make choices all the time, that I will not let fear make my decisions.

I feel comfortable that I am facing all that I am aware of at this time. Of course, this is life and life moves forward with you or without you, and I want to be moving with life. That is where all my security lies.

I know that I have written about this subject before, but I think it is time, for me, to reflect on it again.

When we are down, unhappy, and not feeling good, it is so easy to get stuck in this trap of blaming and complaining. Once we start, we can make it bigger and bigger, until we are attracting every reason to blame and complain. It is a vicious cycle indeed.

I can usually sense one of these when I start to fold because of physical pain. I do fall into the trap, but start getting out as soon as I realize that I am in. I begin by saying out loud all of the great things in my life and all good that is happening right now.

It certainly is challenging to break old habits, but it can be done and the rewards are far better than not. Keep going toward that feeling of good. Don’t let old habits continue to run your life.

It’s your life, so there is no one else to blame anyway. Give yourself a break, and move on to what feels good.

We talk often about living in the moment, but what does it really mean? To me it is keeping your thoughts grounded where you are at this moment, so all of the thoughts of past and future do not apply.

It certainly is difficult to maintain for a long stretch of time, but like all things, practice helps. Living in the moment creates a feeling that all is well, no matter what, because even if there is something negative looming, it too, will change. From that change comes more opportunities.

I work on being in this space as often as I can. I find appreciation with  as many things as I can, and just enjoy whatever is in front of me at the moment. No worries, no negativity, just moments of peace.

Now that some time has passed since my face transplant, I have had some time to reflect. Wow! Sometimes I can’t believe all that has happened to me! The best thing has always been how much everyone around me has pulled together to make things work.

I cannot begin to express in words the way I feel about all the love that has come my way. It truly is the most wonderful feeling. It inspires me to keep giving all I can, all the time.

Still, it is sometimes so surreal, I almost have to remember that this did happen. It is not a dream but it certainly is a dream come true in so many ways.