The Power of Perspective

Something I find fascinating is how we perceive the events and occurrences that take place in our lives.  We can experience something today and decide it was negative or assign a negative association with it, and then experience something similar down the road and frame it positively.  Perhaps it was a tough workout or challenging issue at work - one time we worked through it and found it to be discouraging and draining and the next time we are faced with something similar find it to be an invigorating challenge or milestone that was part of our growth.  What I find so interesting to consider is that there is no good and bad until we decide to lean in one direction or the other.

So what is it that causes us to lean in a certain direction?  Is it even correlated to the event or task at hand or is it dictated by the mindset that we happen to have in that moment?  Although both are logical causes, I feel that we have the ability to create energy and we also have the ability to reframe how we approach events in our lives.  It is easier said than done at times, as a downward spiral can be a very slippery slope and easier to sink into than climbing up towards an upward mindset.  Gravity seems to work on us physically and mentally and spiritually sometimes.  And it can be very hard to recognize that you are leaning in a downward slant, especially if the energy around you is pointing in the same direction.  Sometimes just recognizing where you are is a tough first step to take.  Keeping all of this in mind, how can we harness our power of perception and allow it to work with us instead of against us?

I feel like a first step would be to actually do nothing at all, and that includes not introducing harsh judgement about our current state of thinking or feeling.  Beating ourselves up for a negative mindset or outlook is counterproductive and unkind and is not what we need in these moments.  Instead, if we can hold the situation at arms' length even for a moment or two, would we might be able to gain new perspective and perhaps be able to adjust our thinking.  Recognize the judgement that we are currently holding around the situation at hand and become curious about what has brought us to this place.  Maybe it is past experience that has tainted our perspective, or an assumption that we have been holding onto.  Exploring these factors and finding a way to move to a more neutral place will allow that reset to take place.

Practicing the art of taking that step back and widening our lens is a lesson of a lifetime.  Perspective can be shaped by many factors and past experiences and can be difficult to reset.  It is important to remember that this isn't a case of being right or wrong, instead it is about the energy that we bring to our lives and the situations that we are faced with.  Even when we feel powerless, we ultimately hold the ability to change our thinking and our energy and it can all start with a simple pause.