The Power of Perspective
A new perspective means choosing to look at a situation in a different way.
My youngest son, Don, was born with a severe absence of neck muscles—a condition many would see as a life-limiting handicap. Yet, he never dwelled on what he lacked. Instead, he focused on what he could do: draw. As soon as he could hold a pencil, he was creating art.
He grew up wearing a specialized brace that allowed him to walk, run, and play. In his teens, he had surgery to fuse his back, which left him with a Harrington rod. He briefly wore a neck brace in high school but remained unbothered.
He embraced drama class, even traveling to England with the troupe. Don went on to college and became a respected creative artist in Los Angeles.
Without even realizing it, he maintained a “yes, I can” perspective, always finding a way. He was comfortable with who he was from a young age. Raising him was an honor.
Don is a perfect example of how our perspective profoundly influences our lives.
When faced with an overwhelming problem, do you get stuck focusing on how awful the situation is, or do you adopt a new perspective that says, “This is difficult, but I can work with it”? This is the act of reframing—seeing beyond the immediate problem.
Embracing Your Strengths and Self-Acceptance
Adversity challenges us and can make us feel vulnerable and anxious. However, recognizing and using our strengths can provide a renewed sense of purpose, worth, and meaning, offsetting those feelings of vulnerability.
Take time to celebrate your strengths. This is not pride; it is acknowledgment.
Accept yourself—all parts of you, exactly as you are. You are not better or worse than anyone else, nor are you an extension of another person’s dreams or needs. Your worth doesn’t need to be proven by developing your potential.
While you will experience setbacks and hurts, you will also be rewarded with moments of peace, contentment, satisfaction, and joy. You have inherent worth, dignity, and value.
When you accept yourself, you acknowledge both your potential and your weaknesses. You recognize that you have much to learn, which enables you to grow. Acceptance of self allows you to develop into the person you were meant to be in a positive way. Non-acceptance often leads to resentment, anger, and frustration as you constantly seek approval from others.
The Practice of Reframing
A new perspective is like reframing what life has handed you, expanding your view. When facing difficult or traumatic events, your established perceptions of what you can and cannot do are challenged. Reframing allows you to review your expectations and assumptions and make necessary adjustments.
It involves stepping back from the immediate problems, taking in more information, and developing a wider outlook.
This perspective might include using humor to cope with difficult times. Humor reduces tension and helps you see a lighter side to your situation. (For more on this, see my recent post, Why Laughter is the Best Medicine: Boosting Health and Happiness.)
As you consciously look for ways to change your perspective, your stress levels will drop, and your ability to cope with and work through problems will increase.
We can choose how we respond to any situation.
We can reduce anger and resentment and gain a better understanding of the differences we have as human beings.
We also gain a better perspective of ourselves: we are not perfect. When both our strengths and weaknesses are accepted, our lives become workable.
Threads of Life
We will all struggle with burdens and overwhelming odds at some point. But when we encourage one another to not only survive but thrive, we can go on to celebrate life.
How we respond to these experiences will weave together the fabric of who we are. In Threads of Life, you’ll find a tapestry of stories about overcoming adversity, taking that needed risk, and moving beyond your losses to empower your life and find the joy, comfort, and laughter that we all need.
Along the way, you’ll learn valuable lessons about endurance and resilience as you face formidable difficulties. Learn how focusing on what you can do instead of what you can’t enables you to climb any mountain, overcome any obstacle, and praise God in the process—the story of living.
Threads of Life is available on Amazon in paperback and e-book versions.