Recently I was visiting Jerusalem to partake in a conference for women in  the business world. I have participated in many conferences but this one blew me away. There were a thousand women who were there to learn,

network and enjoy. My older sister is CEO of Temech which organized the conference. Aside from bursting from pride at how awesome it was, I was overcome with gratefulness.

 

I was grateful that I could fly to Israel  when I wanted to, that my husband would man the fort while I was gone, the flexibility of my work schedule, that I visited with family and friends  and that I got to witness first hand women who were there for each other sharing and cheering each other on, swapping ideas and insights of how to juggle the family (many had very large families) and still manage to make strides in their jobs or businesses.

 

As I listened to these women speak I realized that each one had their own individual story. Their own ups and downs, their doubts and achievements, the changes and challenges. Yet there was one unifying factor – focusing on the positive. Seeing what they did have, what they did accomplish, the people that reached out to help. The positive energy these women eminated  electrified the atmosphere.

 

One woman spoke about processes and how going through change is never easy. She pointed out the need to review and see what is working and what isn’t working and then focus on what is and run with it.

Don’t mourn what didn’t work out. See it as a step forward in knowing what you shouldn’t be doing and work from the positive.

 

The authenticity of the women was astounding. The rawness of sharing their lives as they experienced it. Not prettying it up. There was one woman, around seventy years old, who forty  years earlier had suffered burns on over 80% of her body. One night, when her grandmother was visiting her and her three children and her husband was away, there was a gas explosion in her home. She went back three times to save her grandmother and her children. She was given a 10% chance to live. Undergoing excruciating treatments and operations, she survived. And she thrived. She went on to give birth to seven additional children and raise a beautiful family.

 

I asked her how she lived through the torture of changing bandages daily, the repeated operations and the enormous pain that didn’t let up. She told me that everyday she would say, ‘I’m grateful for this day. If I feel pain, that means I still have feeling. I have my vision, I can smell, I’m not as restricted as I could have been.” This woman was hyper focused on what she had. Her smile and her upbeat nature shouted positivity and gratefulness.

 

Today she heads a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching how to avoid fires and if G-d forbid there is one, how to react , and to helping other burn victims. She believes that her emphasis on gratitude is what helped her survive. What an inspiration for others – especially me, to see how a person can find the good in the pain and the agony, focus on it and it will infuse your life with happiness and joy.

 

I invite you to share with us what you do in time of injury or pain, frustration? How do you focus on the positive to help you in times of difficulty and struggle?

 

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