Scenes of devastation and misery in earthquake-torn Haiti predominate  And yet you can also see a young woman’s courage and strength. Imagine how you would respond if you were in Haiti, an earthquake hit, and you got trapped inside your home. And imagine you lost part of your leg.

How’s your mindset?

Would you bounce back adn feel grateful to be alive like Christa Belsford? She’s a college student from Alaska who was in Haiti teaching literacy.

She could easily have decided to tell herself the story that she has seen so much pain and suffering and that she has lost her leg. Instead, she chooses to tell herself a much different story.

“I’ll still get to live my life. There are a lot of people in Haiti who won’t,” Brelsford told TODAY’s Matt Lauer from a wheelchair in Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital. (from Today Show coverage)

Storytelling empowers you to make sense of t your life and put a meaning to what happens. Christa chooses to see that what she lost is so little compared to many survivors of the Haiti earthquake.

Here’s her story from this morning’s Today Show:

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She inspires me. So many people whine and complain about every little th ing, and she wears a huge smile through her road of trials. I would love to talk with her about her mindset, because she has so much to share. She’s right. It’s not all that difficult to get around wihtout a foot compared with what might have happened.

The story of your life is yours to tell, and you get to choose. Will you see the triumph in the midst of tragedy? Can you feel gratitude and joy for what you have even in the midst of a loss?

Christa Belsford spoke about how fortunate she feels to have good healthcare, which so many people lack.

When I had frozen piples last week because of the bitter cold snap, my friend Scott asked if I were angry. Angry? No, that had never occurred to me. I felt so grateful that I have a home and heat. That was such a minor inconvenience. It could have been much worse. After all, I did not lose everything in an earthquake.

I am grateful for the Today Show for sharing Christa Belsford with me so I can share her story of strength wiht you. What perspective does her story bring to your life? Are you revising your story – updating your mindset?

Get Your Attitude Adjusted

Need a little help finding your bounce? I have a couple of recommendations for you. Yes they are affiliate links and yes I stand behind the products.

The free Extreme Thought Makeover program will walk you through a simple daily activity that empowers you. I especially love the “Avalanche of Appreciation.”  What you do  is start naming things for which you feel appreciation. Get into the feeling as well, and soon you’ll find so many things going RIGHT in your life.

And my favorite program is one that will bring sanity to your life. It is Mark Joyner’s free Simpleology daily program. You’ll take charge of your time, money and energy and thus change your expectation and mindset.

iI’ll Push You Steer: The Definitive Guide to Stumbling Through Life wiht Blinders On is the book I co-authored with Bonnie Tesh is a humorous and inspirational book that will both make you laugh and make y ou think. Bonnie is a cancer survivor 3 times over and I’m mostly blind. We don’t let anything get in our way!

These are all fabulous tools.

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