I had the opportunity to attend a workshop on Saturday facilitated by Susan Mikolic, R.N., owner of Stepping Stone Mental Health

She shared with us her personal history and what drove her to design the Energy Equation System, a powerful 10 step process that has enabled her to leave stress and chronic illness behind to live a peaceful, successful life filled with joy.

One of the more powerful moments of the day was the discussion around finding the blessing in all things. If we view all things as a blessing we cancel out the negative attitudes. So if we can say "I lost my job, my husband and my home, but it enabled me to face the destructive path I was on, reach out to those willing to help and rebuild my life stronger and healthier - then that is a blessing."

In the Bible Job looses everything accept his faith and belief in God. In the end he gets everything back and then some.

Sometimes it can be difficult to find the good in a bad situation, but it is with that attitude (the attitude of looking for the blessing) that we can quickly get out of a funk and start to make a difference.

For me there have been many challenges in my life, but I have also believed in looking for the positive. When Pearle Vision was purchased by Lenscrafters (the parent companies merged) I was forced to leave a family that I'd given almost 20 years of my life to. Many people saw the merger and our impending unemployment with great stress and anger. I looked at it from a perspective that this was a chance to start over. I looked to see what I really enjoyed the most in my professional life and researched how I could create an income based on the things I loved. For me it was a joyful time. That positive attitude helped to minimize the stress.

Susan shared that most illnesses today are stress related. If there is a way we can look for the joy and the blessing we begin to reduce the stress and increase our enjoyment of life.

The Energy Equation ten steps are:

1. Take back your power
2. Cover your basics
3. Consume consciously
4. Believe in the blessings
5. Take charge of your thoughts
6. Conserve and control your energy
7. Monitor your feelings barometer
8. Listen and follow
9. Take it slow
10. Love and let go

Check out her site for more information on the Energy Equation.