This is Day 14 of the Positive 100, a countdown to Rare Disease Day 2014 and an exercise in being positive despite it all.

Talents are something we very often take for granted. Often we do not celebrate them for fear that we will be thought of as braggers. But we should. Particularly when there are other circumstances that might make our days a little less bright.

Focusing on what you can do well, rather than on your perceived shortcomings or flaws, can help shape your attitude. It can help you see what makes you special.

 

I make a freaking awesome macaron (with 1 “o”).

For me, baking and writing a food blog helped me deal with both being lonely and living away from my family as well as helped me cope with eating differently than others and gave me something to focus on other than the pain. Along the way, all those days baking with my mamma while growing up turned out to have left me with some killer kitchen skills. And an ability to make fabulous macarons. And cupcakes. And layer cakes.

I am a pretty bad ass web designer

In college, before I was a fashion school drop out, drawing helped me through the chronic migraines and the stress my body was under. Design helped me again after my major car accident in 2008 – I was recently unemployed and had started taking graphic design courses at the local community college. Design saved me a third time. Last summer when I was reeling from a breakup and dealing with a spinal cord stimulator that didn’t work, I started designing a poster series based on little post-it notes I would write myself. I found a dream job because I started focusing on what I was good at, rather than what I thought I should be doing.

Because I focused on what I could do, I was able to use my talents to change my life.

Share the positivity on Twitter, Instagram and Google+ with the hashtag #100positivedays. Also, you can sign up to be emailed a recap each week of the challenge.