#1 Don’t take ourselves so seriously.
Most people don’t find a need to change anything about themselves because, well – after all, they created their thoughts and opinions. For many of us stuck in black and white thinking, thoughts and opinions seem to identify the person we think we are. Too often we take what others say personally without considering they could be right Changing a perspective is an act of humility. It says, “I never looked at it that way!” It is a willingness to set aside our own ideas and opinions of what we think we know, to embrace new ways of looking at some fact of our life, or person, place or thing, through the eyes of new awareness and transparency. The fact is, we’ve absorbed all kinds of messages, good and bad from birth without giving them a second thought; that is, until the pain of living with so many false beliefs become too difficult to accept. The four action steps that follow will facilitate a transformation to a calming peace of change. Compassion instead of worry, regret, and anger, will begin to break through and take the place of negative emotions. Positive thinking will become the heart of changing our perspective.
As we learn to forgive ourselves for our mistakes large and small, we are less reactive to others around us because we realize that ‘just like me’, no one is perfect. We treat ourselves and others with kindness as we ask, “How Important is it (really)?” and begin to let go of preconceived old thoughts and ideas. We let ourselves and others off the hook. With patience and acceptance that each of us is doing the best that we can, we have a change of heart and discover compassion that softly nudges these truths. We are not bad people, so we learn to go easy on ourselves, which creates space between us and others to allow for acceptance to see who we really are. Breathing in confidence is one way of looking at life’s situations as non-threatening. Life becomes just life, not happening to us personally, it is just life on life’s terms. #2 Find gratitude in every single thing. One way we do this is through journaling. Begin by writing five gratitudes a day, and watch what h appens to your attitude! Be sure to visit my website and the tab, “Journaling" to discover exercises on how journaling can have a profound effect on changing our perspective. #3. Change our vantage point. Being able to see the big picture allows us to examine every aspect of a situation. When we change our vantage point, we consider angles and scenarios. We look at our motives. “How does this affect others?” “Is it possible we could be wrong?” These questions ask us to stop and breathe; pausing long enough to gain clarity and see a situation for what it is. Standing atop a mountain of clarity, we open ourselves to the inclusion of others. #4 Change our perspective . This is the miracle that provides the power to redefine who we think we are. Implications of changing our perspective are far-reaching and often life-changing.
#1 Examine Our Motives
Often, examining our motives provoke fear or excitement. There is no other way of testing what we want to do or say while being honest in our intentions. Knee-jerk reactions to what others say or do come automatically. Some of us anticipate anger, even dishonesty. But when we bring to the table love and acceptance, examining motives was never high on the list. Why is it even important? I’ve heard it said, there is never a Wrong Reason for Doing the Next Right Thing. Our responsibility is to be sure that whatever it is we do, is for the right reason.
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