Inspiration | Newsletterish | Perspective
5 Ways Your Perspective Can Improve Your Life Starting Now
Even a small shift can make a big difference
“Expectation is the mother of disappointment”
— Liberty Forrest
My dear readers and writers,
Another week has flown past. I blinked and here we are. I hope you are easing into this new year, courtesy of Mercury giving us the gift of its first retrograde period for 2022.
And yesterday was the glorious Wolf Moon…the first Full Moon of this year. It happens to be in Cancer, so you might be feeling a bit more emotional and reactive than usual over the next few days (and possibly have been for the past few).
Bear in mind that others might be feeling it, too. It’s not a great time to dive into challenging discussions or raise delicate issues if they can wait a bit.
Your perspective changes everything.
And your emotions can alter that perspective. They can make you and the other person on the end of a disagreement feel a million miles apart, when on a different day (and a less emotional one for one or both of you), it might feel like a little gap that you can manage easily.
Take extra good care of yourself while we navigate this beautiful Wolf Moon for the next few days. Make sure you get enough rest, don’t let yourself get “hangry,” and stay hydrated. Some old-fashioned basics, yes — but they are more important than ever when your emotions are wreaking havoc. They’ll help keep you on an even keel.
This is especially important with Mercury temporarily augmenting the possibility of unnecessary arguments. Your mood can dramatically alter your experience and perspective on just about anything.
And your perspective has the power to change your life.
I’d love to tell you a little story…
Once upon a time, there was a man who was travelling on a pleasantly warm day. He walked for many miles and eventually saw a little house at the side of the road, where a woman was working in the garden.
“Good morning, Ma’am,” the traveller called with a cheerful grin.
The woman looked up from her work. Peering at the man suspiciously from under her sunhat, she squinted in response.
“I’m just on my way to the next town,” he continued without missing a beat. “I was wondering, could you tell me, please, what kind of people I’ll find when I get there?”
The woman’s face puckered as if she’d just eaten acid-covered lemons. “Oh, they’re awful!” she said, shaking her head in disgust.
“Really?” said the man in surprise, waiting to hear more. But the woman returned to her work in silence.
After a few moments, the man went on. “What’s so awful about them?”
Frowning and pursing her lips, the woman looked up with an exasperated sigh, obviously not appreciating the interruption. “They’re terrible. They’re miserable. Unfriendly, every single one of ‘em. You can’t trust ‘em as far as you can throw ‘em! You’d do well to stay away and go somewhere else!” she warned.
“Well!” said the man, raising his eyebrows. “Thank you very kindly. I wish you a good day.”
“Don’t bother! It’ll be just as awful as those people are! I have all this work to do, and in this blistering heat, too!” she scowled.
The man contemplated disputing her comment on the weather, as it was only warm. But given her surly attitude, he thought better of it, tipped his hat and carried on.
A while later, he came upon another little house at the side of the road. A woman sat on her front porch, rocking in an old chair with a cat in her lap.
“Good morning, Ma’am!” he called.
“Oh, good morning to you, Sir!” she called back. Gently putting the kitty on the porch, she rose and walked down the path to meet him. “I’ll bet you could use a cool drink,” she offered, opening the gate.
“Why, yes, Ma’am, I really could. Thank you,” he replied.
“Please sit down in the shade on the porch and I’ll be back in a minute,” she offered, gesturing toward her chair.
The woman returned a few moments later with two tall glasses of icy lemonade. “Where are you headed, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Oh, just up the road to the next town,” he replied. “Tell me, what kind of people will I find when I get there?”
“Oh, they’re lovely!” the woman enthused. “Very kind and helpful! The friendliest people you could hope to meet anywhere!”
Sipping on his lemonade, the man smiled.
What does this story bring up for you? What memories, feelings, or emotions does it trigger? What resonates with you in some way?
Does either of these women remind you of anyone? What might their back stories be? What has happened in their lives to influence their approaches to life?
I would love to see your stories or poems about anything that comes up for you about any aspect of this story.
And in particular, I would adore seeing your creativity with this one. Go on, have a little fun. Explore your own memory bank or these women’s psyches or what sort of town lies at the end of that road…
Can’t wait to see what you do! And how this story has impacted you.
5 Ways To Change Your Perspective
- The Dreaded “Shoulds”: If your view of how things “should” be — your partner, home, income, life in general — doesn’t stack up against “what is,” this can leave you feeling disappointed, frustrated, and unmotivated to do anything to change the situation. It can lead to a “What’s the use?” attitude that will never get you anywhere. Leave “shoulds” at the door and change your perspective to embrace “what is.” This removes pressure and allows a more positive mindset to begin setting goals for the future.
- Your Relationships: Let’s say your friend kept you waiting for half an hour to meet a friend. You’re angry. Or you’re worried. Or feeling disrespected about her wasting your time. But she turns out to have been stuck in traffic and wasn’t too concerned, thinking the meeting time was approximate. Her perspective of the situation will be quite different from yours. You could stay angry and resentful or you could shift your perspective and put yourself in her place. This will help move you toward understanding and resolution instead of causing a dent in your friendship.
- Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude: There is something to be said for seeing the world through the lens of gratitude. That includes your challenges. When you can be grateful for the air you breathe, the home you have, the food in your belly, the friend who loves you, the fact that you wake up every day able to create something wonderful in it — this changes your outlook on life. Having gratitude for your challenges means you’re embracing life fully and you’re willing to find lessons and insights in your difficulties.
- Get Some Exercise: Numerous studies have indicated the benefits of physical activity on mindset, mood and outlook on life. It doesn’t even have to be vigorous or strenuous to be useful. If you’re feeling a bit flat and you’ve not been particularly active for a while, crank up that energy and watch your perspective shift within minutes.
- Take a Nap: Studies show that sleep-deprivation can adversely affect your ability to keep a positive attitude. Whatever the reason for your sleep troubles (and there are numerous possibilities), when possible take a nap. Any time you’re sleepy and you’re able to catch a few winks, do it. On top of feeling more rested when you wake up, you’ll probably notice an improvement in your mood, too.
This week, we are celebrating 89 followers for Hope, Healing and Humour!
Also 127 for Shorties But Goodies!
And I must include Witchy’s pub…she has 18 followers. She told me last night that she feels left out because I never include hers. Oops. Sorry, Witchy.
She would love to have more followers, too, anyone who supports her mission to light up the world and make people smile.
Video Call for My Pub Writers!
Okay, Kids! I’ve got some details for you. Yay! Here’s the plan for the 90-minute event:
- A little “Hello” and some housekeeping bits of info.
- Depending on how many of us there are, perhaps we’ll have time for a quick “Hi, this is me, I’m from___” for those of you who would like to do that. A reminder: You are not required to appear on screen, nor do you have to speak. I respect that some people are on Medium anonymously for various reasons. The point of this event is to build stronger connections amongst our Pub Family writers. We have a wonderful community and this is one way I can honour all of you for showing up on the pubs so beautifully and making them great places for people to hang out.
- I’ll use an Oracle card to pick up an intuitive message to share with you. This will provide the theme for the day, and give us a starting point.
- Prior to the day, you will receive three downloadable fun colouring sheets. THIS IS OPTIONAL. I thought it would be fun for you to colour while we have our conversation and you could also write key words, phrases, insights or feelings that come up during the chat. It will provide a cool and creative “memento of the evento” (Haha!) and be a lovely reminder of any meaningful messages you received.
- I’ll make sure we have a short period at the end in which you can show your pretty art to the group. Those who are interested can just hold them up for the camera all at once so we can all have a peek.
Just to be clear, this is for my pub writers ONLY.
To register for the event, click here.
Can’t wait! This is going to be great!
By the way — it won’t be on Zoom. It will be on a webinar platform. You’ll get a link after you register.
In response to my invitation to write about smiling…Trista Signe Ainsworth shared this woooonderful story that lit up my heart! And I’m sure it’ll light up yours, too!
And we had loads of great articles on numerous other topics!
Nicole Hilbig offers some thoughts about following your own path:
…as well as some info on researching your topics…
Kris Bedenian has taken a look at cool stats and info about using a photo for your article:
She’s also written a thought-provoking piece about carrying extra weight:
And another about whether or not quotes are helpful for your articles:
…and one about consistency in writing…
…plus a note about our readers!
…and a wonderful message that almost anyone could use!
Slow train offers an interesting look and a chuckle at cultural differences:
Wendy S. Bradfield has written a wonderfully insightful piece about courage including a couple of exercises to help you flex that muscle!
Suma Narayan has written a really beautiful piece with a healing theme:
Tyra Jaide shares a short, sweet story about enjoying life’s simpler moments:
…and another that was truly eye-opening! Who knew a search engine was planting trees when people use it??
Eko BP offers a heartwarming, bittersweet story about love that brought tears to my eyes:
Drashti Shroff shares her first story with us, a lovely peek at why we should celebrate life’s joys more often:
Tamil’s been zooming along on a couple of different kinds of journeys…this is a truly inspiring piece!
Tyra Jaide shares a story about how Pinterest has turned out to be something of a successful vision board:
Karen Schwartz shares a wonderfully inspiring “shortie” about useful mottos:
…and Karen also contributed a self-reflecting, heartfelt look at gratitude for some powerful food for thought:
Sahil Patel offers some understanding and encouraging words of hope for those who are struggling:
Danielle Hestand shares an amusing story that had me giggling:
Trista Signe Ainsworth has written a lovely short story about keeping your dreams alive!
Yana Bostongirl contemplates the physical attributes of the hero and heroine in romance stories…
Sally Prag shares some delightful snippets of her magical time living in France:
In case you missed it…Last week’s newsletterish was about the Smiling Meditation. It’s fun, easy, even kids can do it! This simple meditation boosts mood in minutes by fooling the brain into thinking you’re happy.
There’s also some cool info about how smiling improves your health!
It’s also loaded with great articles to read so you save time hunting for a bunch!
And now…the Especially Amazing Bit you’ve been waiting for…
Your Splendiferous Joke of the Day! Yay!
Today’s chuckle is brought to you by Witchy. Oops. She gets annoyed with me when I call her drawings “jokes.” They’re her way of sharing her experiences of her new life in England. After being forced to leave her home and everything familiar in the Transylvania Forest, she is bravely exploring the world, sharing her (mis)adventures through her art.
On this particular day, Witchy had just had a science lesson. Never having needed such things during her spell-casting centuries with the other witches in the Forest, this is all new to her.
I’m not sure she’s got the hang of physics yet…
A huge “Thank you!” to every one of our Pub Family members. Without you, there’d be no point in having these pubs! Thank you for your ongoing support of me, my pubs, and each other. 🙏🏻💝
Dr Andrea Polzer Kris Bedenian Rodney Brazier Patti Murray Voncannon Carrie Kolar Croix Sather Deb Fiore Dina Alexander DL Nemeril Donnette Anglin, Loren Lieberthal Jimmy Misner Jr. Judy Millar Julie Gaeta Pene Hodge Karen Schwartz James Knight Laura Izquierdo pockett dessert Dr. Preeti Singh Radhika Iyer Sam Branstner Sharon Sayler, Author Umme Salma Susie Kearley Tamil T Mann Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles Lion~ Wendy S. Bradfield Yana Bostongirl Jo An Fox-Wright Maddox Suma Narayan Penny Walsh Shameem Anwar Irene Fassler Ananya Sandy Peckinpah Trista Signe Ainsworth Slow train A.H. Mehr Alex Frederickson Ashley Nicole B.R. Shenoy Carolyn Hastings Christina Christine Vann, MSc. Irene Fassler Edward John Ellie Jacobson ✍🏻 The Soulful Scribbler Isabel Young Kaz Rochford Nia Simone McLeod Nicole Hilbig Patricia Wright Pam Winter Rachella Angel Page Jodian Marie Thomas, MS, Bsc, Asc L Burton Muhammad Abdullah Kate Aries Danielle Hestand Sahil Patel Jessica Rabel Sharing Words Malky McEwan Belinda Castle Barbara Cook Tyra Jaide Megan Llorente Eko BP Drashti Shroff
