Oh, perspective, where have you gone? And, more importantly, what will it take to get you back? I can't tell you the number of times I say "can we just get a little perspective here?". I'd venture to say it's at least once a day. It boggles my little mind the people who discard the notion of the "glass half-full" in favor of the "my glass is full but it's not the drink I ordered so they should fire the waitress" mindset. For all the things that go wrong, there are tenfold that number of things that go right (or that just don't go wrong). But how we see it, that's a matter of perspective.
When your refrigerator goes quietly into the dark night unbeknownst to you and you step in (with socks on, of course) the melted ice on your hardwood floor as you're running late for work, is it the end of the world as you know it or do you thank your lucky stars for all the days you never had to think about ice? I know it's not easy, but at the end of the day, a broken frige is not the end of the world. It's a pain; it's a pest, an inconvenience, but in the big picture, that is all it is. And we should try to see it as such. I guarantee you (with money back and interest) there's someone on your street, at your workplace, and/or on your facebook friends list who would gladly trade your broken refrigerator problem for whatever problem they are facing. Can we just get a little perspective here please?
A few years ago, I was introduced to the perfect solution to this perspective problem. A Blessing Book has absolutely changed the way I approach the world. All you need is a journal-style notebook, a pen, and your thinking cap. Every day (no skipping), write down 5 things from the day that you're thankful for, things that have been a blessing. Maybe it's a person. Maybe it's green lights all the way to work. Once last year, for me, it was that confused tree outside my office window that blooms in January.
It doesn't have to be a life-changing thing, just a life-pausing one. Whatever you notice that reminds you of what's important, or what's going right, or what you noticed when you stopped noticing only the problems, or what was put in your path just for you, write it down. And tomorrow, do it again with no repeats. You'll be amazed at what you see when you take the time to start looking and at the end of the year, you'll have 1825 tiny blessings that have made your 2011... Something More.
Idea stolen! Thanks!
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