It is not simply that it is better to count your blessings than to bemoan that which you do not welcome. If your peace and happiness mean something to you, the thing to do is to count your blessings. There is nothing else to do. Counting your blessings works. Your very appreciation brings more good things to you. Count what you’re opposed to, and more that you are opposed to will come to you. Whichever track you go on is the one you walk.
 
Even under the most dire circumstances, there is something to be glad for, and this is what your attention has to go on.
 
No matter how shattering something may be, no matter how much brokenness there may be, something unbroken remains, and, are you not really and truly grateful for that? No matter how hurt your body or feelings may be, there are other thoughts and feelings for you to think of and, therefore, gravitate to.
 
You may say that that is easy for Me to say, and hard for you to do. Here is what I have to say to that: Beloveds, everything is hard to do when you resist it. Everything.
 
I am saying it is better to think of something worth thinking about than something that keeps you where you are or drags you down. If you are suffering, do you want to elevate yourself above suffering? Do you want to leave suffering behind? Or do you deep down want to keep suffering by your side and yourself immobile? Do you wish to see yourself as the sorriest person in the world?
 
Do you choose self-pity or self-worth?
 
Do you want to be a victim or a hero?
 
Whatever occurs, you are to wrest the best from the situation. What you are really doing is wresting out the best in you. It’s there. You have it. There is greatness within you, and now you turn to greatness, and you pull up. Do not leave your greatness to circumstance or to others. It is up to you. Why wait for your greatness to appear when you can beckon it to you?
 
Do you want to be tut-tutted over? Do you really? Do you really want to be patted on the head and hear a kind voice say, “There, there.” Do you really want to hear that no one has suffered as you have? Do you really want to be the star of suffering? Do you really want to be long-suffering?  Are you such a proponent of suffering that you will make a shrine to it?
 
You have two options, beloved. One is to sniffle, and one is to get up. One is to weep, and one is to wipe your tears. This is not a question of putting a good face on things. It is not a question of pretending. The way to recover is to recover. The way to inspire is to inspire. The way to be a good sport is to be a good sport.
 
Whatever befalls is yours to get on with. No, it is not enough to make the best of it. BE the best of it. If you want to ride a horse, you have to get up on it. If you want to climb a mountain, you have to start climbing.
 
Be merciful unto yourself.