How Are You Looking at the World?
One of the big AHA moments of the past few years for me was when I really understood that the way I view the world has a profound influence on my experiences.
We Get What We Expect
As we went into lockdown after lockdown, the people who survived and even thrived were the ones who could look at this as just a different experience rather than a loss of their previous lives. While this has been hammered home recently, it is not new thinking.
My very smart coach, Hina Khan www.hinakhan.ca likens this to wearing glasses. If you use grey tinted glasses, your world will be greyer. If you wear yellow tinted glasses, your world will be brighter. Think about the assumptions you make about the world and the people in it. Are people good and helpful or are they “out to get you”? Are things easy for you or are they demanding? How often have you heard the comment “technology is too hard for me to learn – I always get it wrong”? What would happen if you started saying, “I can learn this easily”?
Travel Is A Test
Travel can reveal your attitudes and the lens through which you see the world. Take the mindset that not all things will go as planned but embrace the adventure of not knowing. Recently, I travelled to Puerto Vallarta by myself. My plan was to spend five days in town and then go to a yoga/meditation retreat for another week.
When I arrived at the airport and cleared customs and immigration, I emerged into a very chaotic scene with the thought that I would get a taxi to go to my AirB&B. I got sidetracked by someone who claimed to be able to get me a taxi easily. After about 20 minutes of him telling me about PV, I realized that he was trying to get me to go to a time share presentation.
I extricated myself from that situation and was finally able to make it to a real taxi. This incident could have coloured my whole trip making me assume that everywhere I went there would be someone dishonest about their intentions. In reality, I found some really kind and helpful people during my stay.
By assuming that everything will work out in the end – maybe not exactly as planned but maybe much better, my trip was great. Travel is about learning new things and having new experiences.
Reframing
Start now and listen to your negative self talk. Are you looking through a dark lens where bad things happen to you; one where you are not capable? You may not even be aware because often these assumptions have just become a habit of how you think. Recognizing this negative attitude is the first step in making your world much brighter.
A second step is to do “I am” affirmations. Writing them down is more powerful than saying them but just thinking them will start to change how you see the world. Here are some examples:
Not: I am terrible with technology But: I am able to handle technology with ease
Not: I always meet people who take advantage of me But: I attract people who want to help me
Not: I am bad with money, so I never have any But: I handle money with ease so I always have lots
Not: I am never going to have a good love relationship But: I am attractive to my perfect soul mate.
What is negative self talk do you hear most from yourself or your friends? How can you reframe that talk? Let us know down below. The more we all notice these statements; the more we will be able to we call ourselves and our friends on it.
“We do not see things as they are — we see things as we are.”
