Have you ever noticed how someone else can look at something you are looking at and they can spot something you’ve never noticed. Whether it’s a different perspective, different experiences or just fresh eyes, they see something in a way you didn’t. But you can change your perspective if you try.
It’s the same with your life. How you feel is largely determined by how you see things. When you are working on a problem and you’re feeling stymied if you change the way you approach your problem, you’ll often find a way to move forward.
There is a famous quote by Phoebe Tan that says , “Image is everything.” The way we perceive or see things Is our truth. How we get that view is a complex mix of experience, exposure, ability, and other things. I believe that how we perceive things determines how we behave towards them. Think about a pit bull. If you have a pit bull, or are fond of pit bulls you probably have had good experiences with them. If not, or your experience is relegated to news stories and other people’s opinions you might have a totally different perception of them as family pets. Not right or wrong just different.
Change your perspective; Change your life
So if perspective is everything and if you can find a way to change yours, you can find a new view of situations in your life that are very different than what you’ve been living. You can change your life. Change is hard. Changing the way you look at things can be scary at first and if you don’t know where to start, you are in good company.
The first step is you have to want to see things differently. This does not mean put rose colored glasses on and only see what you want. This means if you want to get unstuck, or see your life in a different light then here are a few steps to help you get started.
Look for the positive
Often we tend to see events that impact us negatively in the worst possible light. We can find fault with people without knowing all the facts. If you can find a positive spin to put on things you can not only see them differently you can enjoy them. For example, it’s another rainy day. You can mope around the house or you can think of what you can enjoy. Read that book, movie party with the kids, take a nap! When you can change your perspective to view things in a positive way, you’ll find your life begins to be more positive as well
You Can Change your Perception of Others
It pays to change how you look at people when you’ve been upset or hurt by a friend or partner. We can hold on to a lot of resentment and negative energy that keeps us stuck because we are not willing to let go of it. Continually replaying any slight or perceived hurt just makes things continue to deteriorate. We just reinforce the negative. Stop. Flip it. Remind yourself of good things, good times, laughter, private jokes. Remember why you liked them in the first place. Take time to reinforce the good, the positive.
When you see things in a more positive light, you give yourself room to consider alternative views. Maybe they were having a bad day, and that it had nothing to do with you. Maybe you were having a bad day or other factors influenced how you reacted.
Your hurt is real but it can mask the way you are looking at the other person.
We must take time to talk to them about the situation. Find out why and maybe you can change the way you react to that person, and change your own life at the same time. They might not even be aware that you’ve been hurt.
Change Your Perspective With an Open Mind
Life stands still if you’re not open to change.
Sometimes, the best thing you can do for yourself is keep an open mind. Maybe you could just take a leap into the unknown.
So what would happen if you allowed yourself to suspend disbelief. If you changed your perspective to view the improbable or impossible as something you could achieve? Your best ideas may come from being open to change and hearing other people’s perspectives. It all begins with a seed of “what if” and changing the way you look at things.
Avoid falling back into your old patterns
The path to changing the way you see things is to not allow yourself to fall back on your old perceptions of how things “should be.” It is easy to take a path of least resistance and less work. To see your life in a more positive light, then looking at people and events through the lens of negativity is not going to help you move forward. When you’re tempted to fall back into your old way of seeing, remember, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you see it or think about it.” — Mary Engelbreit
If you practice these tips to change your perspective, the things you look at in your life will also change. You will discover the power you have over your own life and emotions, and a way to live the best possible life you can.
To find out more about one specific way to change your perspective look at this article on Forgiving.
If you would like to talk to a life coach about changing your perspective or any other issue in your life you can email Shelley Davis at yourpersonalskillscoach@gmail.com to schedule a discovery call.
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