Happy New Year! Are you still working on the overindulging you did over the holidays? I was…but I came up with a genius idea. I had a colonoscopy last week. Took care of that! Only problem is I had a little too much time to sit and think. And when I sit and think, well I think, and that’s usually a headache for Kim.

With too much idle time on my hands, I have a tendency to come up with these wild ideas that I’ll stampede into her space with, breathless, all in a fired-up lather. She’ll smile sweetly and give me a look like you would a puppy that is chasing his tail around in circles and you’re just waiting for him to settle.  When I finally give her a chance to get a word in edge wise after I’ve presented the idea-to-end-all-ideas, she’ll calmly say, “Yeah but have you thought about…?” At this point, I sheepishly answer, “Well no but….” And somewhere in the continuing exchange after that, she brings me back to reality.

Now this is a dance we do from knowing each other so well, but it has me thinking about this examination of who we are and why we do what we do! Our podcast last week was about how we are all programmed with limiting beliefs about ourselves and how we have to take a hammer to those beliefs if we want to have a healthy self worth. Yikes, that’s a bit of a punch in the gut if I’m being honest. What are my beliefs about myself that make me so frantic about the pace of my life and my work? That’s a big question not answered in this newsletter but it’s something to think about. Unfortunately for me, this week’s podcast is about setting goals. That might just set me off again…but I’m going to try to blast out of the starting gate with a glance of reflection first.

One of the many things that I love so much about studying Positive Psychology is the focus on recognizing our strengths and the strengths of others. I believe there is truth in the saying "what we look for in life is what we will see." Therefore, if we go through life looking to find the strengths in ourselves and in others, that is exactly what we will see.

As you've probably noticed by now, Nancy and I have very different personalities, but we appreciate our differences.  We have complimentary strengths and are good at sharing the lead depending on what strengths are required. Because we have made the choice to focus on our strengths, we do not see our differences as an obstacle or an issue, but rather as an advantage because we cover each other's blind spots. We do not judge ourselves or each other for being different; but rather embrace and appreciate our differences!

In Gabrielle Bernstein's new book, Judgment Detox, she recommends repeating the powerful phrase "All I see is your light" silently in your head when you find yourself judging someone for any reason. This phrase is a wonderful tool to demonstrate how we can approach others in a positive way and ensure we focus solely on the positive attributes they bring into our life.

We all have strengths, and we can use those strengths to lift each other up and help each other by working together rather than competing against one another and tearing each other down.

What an amazing world this could be if we all recognized, embraced and appreciated our uniqueness as our strengths and not our weaknesses!