Our perspective is based on our life experiences, current situations, feelings, beliefs and stress. It is impacted by our families and friends as well. It may seem difficult at times to shift your perspective from negative to positive when life becomes too challenging. Our life experiences change constantly making our perspective ever changing also. Yet, it is the key to finding joy, peace and happiness in our lives. Al Neuharth once said, “the difference between a mountain and a molehill is your perspective.” I love this quote because it shows that our perspective can shift the way we look at our life, even in the worst situations. And through my challenges I have connected with this belief that perspective makes things magical even amidst chaos. On those difficult days, shifting my perspective and recognizing my progress helped place life into focus unveiling the positive moments of each day.
Creating this shift in perspective is a lifestyle choice. It requires persistence, perseverance, consistency and repetition. And through this process you begin to learn, heal and evolve through the challenge’s life brings. My journey started 13 years ago and there were plenty of bumpy roads and rollercoaster experiences. But I knew deep inside that I needed to heal the physical body to create a foundational support system. And that made space for me to work on the trauma and abuse that had been hiding beneath the surface. Albert Einstein once said, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” And that was exactly what I learned along the way. The more I focused on mindfulness, gratitude, self-love and perspective the easier life felt. I felt happier, even if turmoil lurked in every corner or crevice. We may not be able to predict the future or clear all the obstacles that may come our way, but we do have the power to choose to shift our perspective and find the blessing in each moment.
Changing your perspective is never easy. It takes time, consistency, perseverance and persistence. It takes practice to shift your mind from a negative thought into a positive outlook. After all, shifting the negative voice in our heads may require our attention a multitude of times per day. Some days are usually easier than others. But, on those difficult days, filled with challenges the negative voice often gets into overdrive. And those stressful days require constant redirection and may feel overwhelming. I must emphasize, it was not easy but it was absolutely worth the effort. When I began to see challenges through this new perspective, I recognized each experience was an opportunity. And the difficult, overwhelming and stressful days diminished exponentially. And suddenly things from my bucket list, no longer felt impossible. And I began to work towards the future, as I realized my daily visualization were helping me keep the shift more stable.
My perspective has been shifting consistently on my journey to healing the emotional and physical root of my chronic illness, severe digestive issues and anxiety. But like anything in life healing goes through phases: physical, emotional , mental and spiritual. The first 10 years were physical and geared towards healing by reducing prescriptions and symptoms of disease and illness. The last 3 years were spiritual and emotional geared towards reducing overwhelming feelings by unravelling the root cause of my illness, trauma and self-limiting beliefs. The quote that paved the way for my perspective shift was, “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change” by Wayne Dyer. And this premise gave me insights to begin some mindfulness practices that helped shift my perspective and fuel my day with a positive outlook. And I will share a few of those strategies that fueled me over the years.
Strategies to Shift your Perspective:
- Breathe Deep and slow – take in 10 slow deep breaths with your eyes closed. My favorite is the 5-5-5 breath. Imagine you are moving the air up your spine to the crown of your head. Breath in 5 seconds. Hold your breath for 5 seconds. And exhale slowly.
- Lay down in dragonfly position and combine with 5-5-5 Breath. A great way to start your day with a new energy and perspective.
- Take 5 minutes to meditate or listen to a guided meditation. A simple meditation is to visualize your day. Imagine each moment from self-care, meals, meetings, driving, etc. Imagine them all happening beautifully. And focus on noticing the way you feel in those moments.
- When that negative voice pops into your head, recite an affirmation and take several deep breaths as you let it sink in. You can try, “I am worthy of living, loving and having the dream.” Or “I am good enough and I will get through this.”
Now, it is up to you. Do you choose to shift your perspective? Do you choose to find the blessings amidst the chaos? Do you choose to make lemonade out of lemons? Yes, well it all starts with self-love, mindfulness and a decision to make the shift. I hope you feel inspired to practice some self-loving perspective shifts and begin to experience the magic in your life.