Life Lessons | Mindset
When the World Feels Topsy Turvy
How do you find a place of perspective?
There is so much turmoil going on in the world right now, it is hard not to notice it. I am not walking in the footsteps of the families caught up in the troubles of the world, but have been hearing their humbling stories of how they have found themselves trapped in this fight. I find myself overcome by waves of sadness, and wonder where can we find hope.
HOPE is the word I had taken to live this year by.
Hope in the community rallying around to help in some small way.
Hope that the unthinkable never happens.
Hope that humanity still exists.
We will All Face Challenges, Some More Than Most
It has made me wonder if there is anything positive we can take from the painful events that happen in our lives.
One of my most read books has been Viktor Frankl, “Man’s Search For Meaning”. When I feel lost or down, I pick it up as a reminder of the importance of keeping perspective.
Frankl was imprisoned during the Holocaust. He wrote that if we can find meaning and a goal in what we are doing, this will enable us to get through anything.
For Frankl, this was the hope that he would meet his wife again and that he would publish his life works manuscript, which he had started before the war.
He says if we can find meaning in our suffering, we can reach an end goal.
“Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’.” ― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
Frankl’s technique, Logantherapy, helps to look beyond past or present problems, to choose a productive future, and find meaning in life.
The message is that we have a choice in the way we bear our burden.
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
It can be hard to see the way forward when you are caught up in the struggle. Perspective can sometimes come later and even in strange ways. Maybe we don’t see this at the time, it is only later down the line that it comes into perspective. (Hindsight they sometimes call it, if only I had known, I would have done…)
Facing Challenges is not easy; how to keep perspective.
They say that behind every cloud there is a silver lining. At the moment it feels like someone must have sewed them up real good, deep into the seams of life’s comfort blanket.
As I hear of the devastation that is around, all the turbulence of the world, my problems seem so insignificant. And I feel small-minded for writing about them.
I wrote about how “When Life Gives You Lemons, Sometimes You Can’t Hand Them Back” after learning that my dad is seriously unwell and needs my help but it is not straightforward to get to him. At least not without going through a lot of paperwork and red tape.
The problem is he lives in New Zealand and I am 11,426 miles away in the UK. Due to the pandemic, the borders in New Zealand had been closed, which means I need special permission to travel. After that hurdle, I would need to spend a week in mandatory isolation. Adding to the time before I could get to him again.
Then I woke to the news, that New Zealand took the recent decision to scrap the rule of mandatory isolation for all, except a few. So now I can travel, without having to undergo this added pressure, as I have now been approved under a Critical Purpose Visa, after jumping through all the red tape.
I could have curled up into a ball and thought how difficult it all is, but I chose action with HOPE instead.
It is small gains like this, the small silver in the lining, that I have been able to unpick from the seams of life’s comfort blanket.
Keeping Wider Perspective
This does not take away from the pain and war in the world. The hardships that others are suffering. I have heard many stories of the families separated due to the war, and their worry for elderly parents who remain there. I cannot truly know their despair but I know what it feels like to be apart from those you love during times of need.
Today I am trying to find the small silver lining in the cloud that is above my head, and trying to keep perspective.
Positivity was a theme I came across in my reading this week, and it probably couldn’t have come at a better time. I was moved by Umme Salma’s creative way with words in her piece, Taste the Surprisingly Delicious Fruits of Positivity of Life, which was so uplifting. It sparks the seeds of positivity and will send negativity packing, and is well worth the read.
A sure certainty in life is that we will face struggles ahead, after all, what would life be like if there was nothing but only pleasures? Maybe that would be a better life to have, you may think, but then how would we know what a life filled with pleasure truly means when we have never experienced challenges to compare it with and appreciate life more?
We will all face challenges at some stage of our lives, at those times it is important to try to keep hold of perspective, treat her like your best friend and have open and frank conversations together when facing whatever it is that you may be going through. Remember, there is HOPE.
This piece is in response to Liberty Forrest, Author thoughts “This Is Why Shifting Your Perspective Can Change the World”.
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