Where's the Sun? My February Embrace

February has always been a rough time for me...long nights, cold days, no sunshine for what seems like weeks at a time. Enough to make one mad dreaming of spring.

This year, though, things are different. My February has taken on an entirely new twist, and I'm beginning to look at my "worst month" in a whole new way.

It's all about attitude. I realized going into this month, with that familiar "it's gonna take everything I've got just to hold on to my sanity" attitude, that I could change that. Indeed, that I HAD to change that. I just refused to accept the fact that I had to have another February like the ones I've always had.

So, I started to look at all the positive things about this mis-understood month. Like the bitter cold...what a great time to try out those soup recipes I've been collecting, and whip up a batch of home-baked bread.

I was firm with myself this month...no whining, no slinking back into my typical "dark place" wishing I was anywhere but here. I embraced February, with all its ice, wind, snow and dark. I lit candles. I rearranged my office. I jettisoned a number of unpleasant and unproductive things from my life. And I am living this month, and enjoying February in a whole new way.

This has done wonders for business, too. Contacts from last fall have been calling ready to get started. An invitation to give a presentation just came through the other day. And new relationships have given my psyche a much-needed boost.

Are you stuck in the winter doldrums? A little advice...take hold of February and give it a good shake. Then give it a long hug and embrace your dark month. You'll be surprised how well it hugs back.