Perspective REALLY is EVERYTHING

It's all about how

: ):

You look at things...

I haven't always been a sunny personality.

I remember a friend introducing me to Norman Vincent Peale when I was pretty young. I thought the whole premise of the Power of Positive Thinking as an excellent way to make a buck on the adage, "Fake it until you make it."  It also seemed pretty easy to me for these people to walk around with a happy attitude when they were already doing well. But I was carrying a significant amount of responsibility for one so young, and there didn't seem to be anyone around to help me with my burdens. I spent many days feeling trapped and overwhelmed, wondering if I would ever find a way to achieve some of the dreams that were inside my head and heart. 

Then one day, I hit a glass door full force.

I came barreling around a corner, and I could see my friends sitting in the room ahead. It never occurred to me that there was a door there. I didn't see my reflection even until it was too late. My face smashed against the glass, and I fell backward onto the concrete. My friends, in shock at first, came running out and then they were laughing. I lay there on the ground, dazed and confused, and realized what had just happened. Now I began to laugh too, as I imagined what they must have seen from their perspective. It was pretty hilarious.

I didn't stop to drink in any consoling or pity, I just went in and got an ice pack.

You see, the cut on my swollen nose would heal, but I would carry the lesson from that injury for a very long time. Perspective was everything in this event. 

1) I didn't see the door because I was looking past it. How many times do we make mistakes, hit a wall because we don't slow down and consider what might be ahead?

2) My friends could see my impending collision, but they were powerless to stop it. We can't always prevent people from making mistakes. We can only be there to help pick up the pieces if necessary.

3) Instead of focusing on the painful aftermath, I joined my friends in laughter. If possible, bring laughter to others when you see them make a mistake or hit a wall. Laughter will help them change their perspective and see the good parts of what just happened versus staying stuck on the ground.

There's a duality in most things that surround us.

The physical world and what we see and feel is not all there is. There is a world of spirit and purpose underneath it, and no matter what it looks like on the outside, there is much more going on beneath the circumstances we perceive as negative. 

If I can remember that and tap into the deeper meaning behind what I am experiencing, then I can accept what I am going through with greater ease. Even hitting a glass door.

You have a choice in every perspective you take. 

Choose wisely. It really is everything.

Cheers.