Hi, Today I want to talk to you about something important. It has to do with how you approach life in general, and what a difference that can make. There is a story of two boys who were separated almost at birth. Their parents got divorced, with one boy going with their mother, and one boy going with their father. The father had a very good job and was able to provide a nanny for his son, so he was raised in a warm, loving environment. When his father came home from work, he paid much attention to his boy, and they had a very close relationship. That boy grew up to have a “normal” life, getting married and raising his own family. He had a very positive attitude toward life, was very happy in general, and was a success in business himself, like his father had been before him. His brother, on the other hand, was not as lucky. He had been raised by their mother, who struggled with being a single mom. She had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder late in life, and kept going off her medications every time she felt better. Because of so many bipolar episodes, it was very hard for her to hold onto a job for very long, so they always struggled financially. When she was working, that boy was in day care, or with babysitters. When his mother was in depressive episodes, she could not offer him the kind of loving he very much needed. So it was very difficult for this boy growing up. When his mother was in manic episodes, it was very confusing for this boy, as he watched his mother exhibit behavior that he didn’t understand. He grew up not understanding how to be a “normal” adult, and had many up and down moods himself. He had a terrible life. He was not diagnosed with bipolar disorder himself until later in life, when he finally understood what was “wrong” with him, and what had been wrong with his mother. By that time, however, he had a terrible view on life. He believed he could never be truly happy, could never really trust people or have a normal loving relationship, and could never be successful. He blamed everything either on his mother, the divorce, his past, or the bipolar disorder itself. He was a very negative person. So here are two sides of the same coin, so to speak. Two boys who had the same choice in life, one of them even with bipolar disorder. Both these boys had the same chance in life. Although the one boy had bipolar disorder, had it been caught in time, he could have gone on medication, and his whole life would have been different. Part of it, however, had to do with his attitude. In other words, how you approach life. Each boy grew up with a different approach to life. One boy had a positive approach to life, in spite of the divorce and the way he grew up, and he became a success and was happy. The other boy had a very negative approach to life, because of the divorce and the way he grew up, and he did not become a success and was very unhappy. However, there are many people who have bipolar disorder who, no matter what their past was like, or in spite of the fact that they have the disorder, have a very good life. Look at my mom and me: My mom struggled with bipolar disorder I think for most, if not all, of her life. Before I started helping her, things were really bad for her. My whole life growing up was really confusing. But I did not blame my mom… And I did not grow up with a negative attitude toward life. I am a positive person. I am happy, and I am a successful person. And my mom eventually learned how to manage her bipolar disorder, and became happy and successful, too. She never blamed her disorder for her problems in life or was a negative person. How you approach life is largely your decision. You can decide to approach it with a positive or a negative attitude, in spite of your past. Well, I have to go! Your Friend, Dave