The problem is my….

The problem is not your job, the medical system, your husband, where you live, who your parents are, or how your children are acting - it’s how you are thinking about whatever it is that feels like a problem.

This is great news because how we think about things and interpret things is learned.

And unhelpful ways of thinking can be unlearned.

Many of us were trained to see the negative- the glass half empty.

We were trained to focus on what’s not working and what needs fixing.

We were trained to be dissatisfied so we would work even harder and never rest.

These are helpful in medical school and residency but are not sustainable.

Learning to stop being dissatisfied and how to start being satisfied is gold.

When you learn to be satisfied with where you are, you also learn to be satisfied with where you are going.

This doesn’t mean you have to stay there but if you don’t train your brain to be satisfied it never will be.

Whatever you switch to will also become unsatisfying.

I am on a mission to feel satisfied this year.

While that might seem low bar- my whole life has changed for the very much better since I focused my attention on feeling satisfied.

Satisfied isn’t polyana - it’s not making things fabulous. Just satisfying.

Satisfied also isn’t saying you love everything as it is.

It’s choosing to deliberately feel satisfied anyway.

Satisfied is actually an inspired, productive, open-hearted, creative, and proactive emotion.

I encourage you to start practicing satisfaction and notice how much more love, fun, laughter, pleasure, connection, and joy come into your life.

Possibilities do also.

The most beautiful thing — when you start making changes from a place of “satisfied”, everything becomes even more satisfying.

*Satisfied wasn’t my first step- it comes after years of coaching, making changes, and practicing intentional thoughts as well as yoga and mindfulness. I know from all this that feeling satisfied is available as a feeling if you want to feel that way. You can stop deciding to be satisfied when…. You can decide to be satisfied now. However, if you are in a toxic spot - one where you do not want to feel satisfied and you actually want to make a change for your own well-being, please don’t decide to be satisfied.