A little boy went out to the backyard to play with a baseball bat and ball. He said to himself, "I am the best hitter in the world." Then he threw the ball up in the air and took a swing at it, but missed. Without a moment's hesitation, he tossed it in the air again, saying as he swung the bat, "I'm the best hitter in the world," but missed. Strike two. He tossed the ball up again, even more determined, saying, "I am the best hitter in the world!" But he missed again. Strike three. The boy laid down his bat and smiled real big. "What do you know?" he said. "I'm the best pitcher in the world!"
- Joel Osteen
Your Best Life Begins Each Morning
The message of this story
To everything in life, there is more than one perspective. There is always a positive and negative side to things and you get to choose.
There are some other key takeaways from this short story that will be discussed: taking in the positive, the importance of what we tell ourselves, and good thoughts. But first, let's take a closer look at what is meant by perspective and how it manifests in our daily life.
The dictionary defines perspective as a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view; a frame of reference, an interpretation. I understand it as a mental outlook that reflects what is going on inside us- thoughts and feelings that inevitably shows in our behavior.
The good news is that we can change our perspective about ourselves, others, circumstances and life in general. Although, there are things we cannot control or change in life, how we view these events is completely up to us.
In life, it is not what happens to you. It is how you respond to it that's most important. It's not the events and circumstances we find ourselves in that's most important. How we deal, what we think and what we do, has a far greater impact on our lives than the events themselves.
When things go wrong or don't go as planned, it's so easy to focus on the negative. All we see is the bad in our circumstances, but if we are willing to look we will find the good as well. Taking in the positive is a willingness to see a situation differently. Initially, it may feel like work because you are changing habitual ways of thinking- replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.
Nothing wrong with feeling your feelings, whatever they may be. But then consider shifting your perspective from upset to other options. Allowing your point of view to shift to a more positive outlook will bring you immediate relief. A positive attitude makes you happier and puts you in a good mood. Instead of ruminations, your mind is free to move.
I'm sure some of you are asking yourselves, how do we do this- go from negative to positive thinking. First, you have to decide that you want a new and improved attitude. You start paying attention and noticing your thoughts and make a continuous effort to replace unhelpful thoughts with more favorable ones until positive thinking becomes a habit. Most importantly, remind yourself of the golden rule : when we want to change, we change.
Our thoughts can work for us or work against us. They can help us or negatively affect us. This is a fact. So, we must be very careful about our self-talk- what we tell ourselves about ourselves. This has far more significance than what others say to us. What we tell ourselves comes directly from our own thoughts; triggers certain feelings and we eventually act on those thoughts and feelings. The alternative is to practice being good to yourself. Stop the 'should' shaming, and start treating yourself with love and respect.
Fill your mind with good thoughts. Yes, we know that disappointment, sadness, pain, and loss are a reality. They just show up uninvited; that's life. All the more reason to use positive healing words when we talk to ourselves. It's what we tell ourselves that determines our perspective about everything. Our perspective can either lift or bring down our spirits. This is how I do it: learn from the heartbreaks and live from the breakthroughs.
There is always another way of looking at things.
The choice is yours.
Thank you for reading!
