13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do_ Take Back Your Power, Embrace Change, Face Your Fears, and Train Your Brain for Happiness and Success ( PDFDrive )

her love for running. Over the years, Marla has proved herself to be one of the
fastest runners in the world, even though she’s never actually been able to see
the finish line.
Initially, Marla became an accomplished athlete in the Paralympics. She
competed in 1992 and then again in 1996. Not only did she earn a total of five
gold medals and one silver medal, she also set several world records. But Marla
didn’t stop there.
In 1999, she entered the Pan American Games and she won the 1,500-meter
race. In 2000, she became the first legally blind athlete to ever compete in the
Olympics. She was the first American to cross the finish line in the 1,500-meter
race and she placed eighth overall.
Marla doesn’t see her blindness as a disability. In fact, she chooses to view it
as a gift that allows her to become successful in both long-and short-distance
races. In discussing her blindness in her book, No Finish Line: My Life as I See
It, Marla writes, “It not only has forced me to prove my competence but also
pushed me to achieve. It has given me gifts, such as will and commitment that I
use every day.” Marla doesn’t focus on what her vision loss took from her.
Instead, she chooses to feel grateful for what her vision impairment actually
gave her.
While feeling sorry for yourself is about thinking I deserve better, gratitude is
about thinking I have more than I deserve. Experiencing gratitude requires some
extra effort, but it isn’t hard. Anyone can learn to become more grateful by
developing new habits.
Start to acknowledge other people’s kindness and generosity. Affirm the good
in the world and you will begin to appreciate what you have.
You don’t have to be rich, wildly successful, or have the perfect life to feel
grateful. A person who earns $34,000 a year may think he doesn’t have much
money but he is actually among the richest 1 percent of people in the world. If
you’re reading this book, it means you’re more fortunate than the nearly one
billion people in the world who can’t read, many of whom will be stuck in a life
of poverty.
Look for those little things in life that you can so easily take for granted and
work toward increasing your feelings of gratitude. Here are a few simple habits
that can help you focus on what you have to be grateful for: