I was walking out of a late lunch with my family this afternoon and said “It’s pretty nice today.”
“Probably because it’s only 90 instead of 100,” my mom said.
“I guess. Just a matter of perspective,” I answered.
As I’ve pondered throughout the afternoon and evening the need for a topic today, this came to mind. I recently read The Noticer by Andy Andrews, in which the title character takes it upon himself to provide struggling individuals with a new way of looking at things. Though my final review of the book would be fairly neutral, there is an importance to understanding the power of perspective.
The glory and burden of being human is the ability to attach meaning to life’s events. So much of how we experience things is determined by our outlook, for as Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
What are you thinking? When you see something happen, do you ask how it can get worse or look for a solution? Do you think of every reason something can’t be done instead of contemplating a way it can?
My belief is that life is about making decisions. Choices determine actions, which lead to outcomes. Your response to events has a ripple effect on your future, shaping the next set of events.
Next time something comes along, take an extra moment to breathe and understand your perspective. Ask yourself why your first thought was whatever it ends up being. That is the first step in changing your life.
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