Finding what keeps you going

I sometimes wonder if I confuse you guys with my frequent thought/mood swings. I'll write something super inspiring, and people will be like, "Wow, you really know what you're talking about" or "You sound like you're on the right track." And then there are days where I'll write something super depressing, and it sort of gives away the fact that I have NO idea what I'm talking about or that maybe I'm NOT on the right track.

It must be an early twenties kind of thing. I'm in the "figuring shit out" phase. The truth is, when I write something inspiring, it's because I'm feeling inspiring that day. And when I write something dark or pensive, it's because I'm feeling dark or pensive that day.

I read a fact the other day that 75% of our thoughts and feelings are delivered by our subconscious minds. So we can read inspiring books, quotes, and articles all day long, but when we're feeling or thinking anything negative, we seem to forget about everything we've learned and immediately shift into the "woe is me" mindset. When you're in a bad mood, it's highly unlikely that you'll think about or even remember that article you read two months ago about how to turn your bad mood around---even if you thought it was incredibly inspiring and life-changing at the time.

So I've discovered that one way to solve this problem is to keep the things that matter to you and the things you want to remember in front of you as much as possible---All those things you forget about when you're convinced that the world is coming to an end and that life can't possibly go on. You need to find what keeps you going.

When I tell myself that I'm all alone and that no one cares about me, I look at pictures of my family, friends, and pets, and remember that I am more loved than I will ever realize.

When I tell myself that I'm a crappy writer and that I will never be as good as *insert name of talented writer/blogger here,* I read the nice comments, emails, and tweets from you guys, and remember that there are many people who don't think I'm a crappy writer at all.

When I tell myself that my life is going nowhere and that I will grow up to be a vagrant, I remind myself of how far I've come and the things that I've accomplished so far, and remember that I am capable of continuing to move forward and accomplish even more things.

Find the things that keep YOU going. And keep those things in front of you, not behind you.

Big hug from me: {{{{ }}}}

<3 Madison