How to Change Your Perspective and Create Your Best Life
Life really isn’t that hard.
I’ll agree that things happen that are unexpected and set us back, but that doesn’t mean that every day is like dragging your feet through heavy piles of sand. Everyone will have moments in their life where things just don’t go the way they plan.
What matters is how you look at and handle the situation.
And more importantly: it’s how you bounce back.
What helps you the most in handling and coping with situations in life is your perspective. Perspective allows you to appreciate as much or as little in life that you choose to.
Basically what I’m getting at is if you’re someone that says, “My life sucks,” just know it doesn’t. It’s your perspective on life that sucks.
On the flip side, if you look at your life in a way that you appreciate everything and celebrate the tiny wins, you’re going to have a positive perspective on life and think to yourself, “My life is amazing.” And that’s because it is—because you’re seeing your life as amazing.
So how to do you change your perspective to have your best life? Well, there’s a few things that go into it...
Spend With People Who Inspire You
I’ve always been a glass half-full type of person, but over the past two years, I’ve surrounded myself with people that are even more positive than I am. I always want to improve who I am, so I made the active effort to be around people who will help me better myself and cut ties to the ones that don’t. I wanted to become more optimistic, realistic, goal-orientated, and encouraging; so when I found people in my life who shared those traits, I spent more time with them.
Not only did I end up bettering myself, but I ended up creating strong bonds and friendships with these incredible individuals. These people are magnetic because of their good energy and loving hearts. They’re people that I wanted to be like, but more importantly, wanted to be around.
Do the same thing for yourself. Find new friends. Date someone with a heart of gold. Reach out to those people in your life that you want to be like and spend time with them. Most importantly: spend less time with those who hold you back.
Rethink the Situation
This was something that was hard to learn how to do, but helped the most in creating a more positive perspective. Emotions are normal, but sometimes we get a little dramatic because of them. Stopping to think about why you’re upset and value the size of the situation’s impact will help you sneak a little bit of ration into your mind.
Mild example: if you’re cooking and you completely burn part of the food, don’t throw your hands up in the air and think that you’re the worst cook ever. It’s not time to give up cooking forever and cry about it.
Instead, acknowledge that yes, part of the meal is in fact burnt and it’s a bummer. But you still tried to learn how to cook. There are people that spend years trying to master culinary, and it would be silly to think that they didn’t burn food at least a dozen times in their life. Take the situation as a learning opportunity, clean up what you need to, and don’t let it ruin your day.
Compare Importance
My boyfriend is one of the most positive people I’ve ever met. One of the things he told me a lot when I had a few things going on was that, “It’s a good problem to have.” And he was exactly right.
The “problems” I had were not major. I still had a roof over my head, food to eat, and people in my life that love me. I had all my basic needs still covered and that was what mattered most Everything else was just a bonus.
Once you understand that type of thinking, you appreciate more in life. There’s people out there that don’t have their basic needs covered, and the fact that you do is something to really value.
At the same time, I’m not saying to always be happy because you don’t have it the worst in life. That would be ridiculous. Everyone is used to a certain type of lifestyle and I fully support that. I’m just saying that instead of getting hung up on something that seems like a big deal, take a step back and look at the problem you have at hand.
My problem was about me picking between two amazing opportunities because I wasn’t able to do both. Looking back, I realize that it was not a problem at all. It was simply just a matter of making a decision between two blessings. When I realized that I was just making a decision between two great things, I was able to calm down and make a choice. It wasn’t life-or-death importance, but initially, it felt like that.
Count Your Blessings
If you rolled your eyes after reading that subtitle, I get it. It’s redundant and I’m sure that everyone and their mother has told you that at some point in your life. But the reason that people always say to “count your blessings” is because it matters.
Counting your blessings helps you notice the good things in your life—both big and small. If you struggle with noticing what the “blessings" are, make a list of things that make you happy.
Some of the things that make me happy are good manners, chivalry, unexpected compliments, bad jokes, and making people smile. Whenever these things happen in a day, I’m instantly gracious—especially with the last one!
Counting your blessings is easy once you realize what they are.
Actively Decide to Be Positive
One of the simplest ways you can change your perspective to a more positive one is by not complaining. A lot of people complain without even noticing. Even I have to monitor myself sometimes—especially if I don’t have the best day at work. Being aware of what you say will help you change your perspective.
I’m a big believer in positive vibes. If you only put positive vibes out there, you’re going to have positive vibes in your life.
Think about what you’re going to complain about before you do. Is it absolutely necessary to say? Will it change how you feel? Will it make others feel more positive? If the answer is no for those questions, just let it go and don't say anything. The more you do this, the easier it will be for you to let things roll off your back as time goes by.
Being positive isn’t something that just happens for some people, it takes constant effort at first until it becomes second nature. If you work at it, you’ll see results—just like when you go to the gym, eat healthy, or pursue a hobby/sport.
If there’s anything you take away from this post, I hope it’s that you know you’re in control of your life because you’re in control of your perspective on life. The better the perspective you have, the better your life will be. It’s never too late to change your perspective, so why not start today?
