By Mary Lee Gannon

This week I had the pleasure of profiling 11 successful individuals who have had to start their lives over.

Their stories vary from being laid off to dodging bombs in Bosnia to losing their mother to murder to divorce to the death of a husband. All of these champions overcame immense challenges to meet with professional and personal success. What I have done below is tried to capture for you some common themes in things they shared with me so that you may learn from others who have truly succeeded at their own personal turnaround.

1. Stopped being a victim.

2. Get support, create self-awareness and figure out what is your fear and what are the obstacles that are getting in the way.

3. Set goals daily.

4. Be willing to do whatever it takes.

5. Stay positive. Surround yourself with only positive people.

6. Write out 10 things every day for which you are grateful.

7. Your feelings need to be validated so you can let them go. Covering them up with “positive thinking” is a band-aid at best. Do something frivolous for yourself. Life has just dealt you a blow, and you must find a way to tell yourself that you are on your side. It need not cost a fortune…..perhaps it’s a massage, a special brew of coffee, or flowers or a facial or a new CD or a manicure. But you definitely want to send a loving message of support to your psyche. [Read more…]