What do you think is your most powerful tool?
I asked myself this very same question when I came to a crossroads in my life almost six years ago.
My answer to that question I share with you and to the world through my two books: When All Balls Drop and With New Eyes.
Our most powerful tool is perspective.
Regardless of who you are, what your age, or how much money you make, you have very little control over this thing called life. Life will throw you curveballs and play dirty. You may try to control or Type A your way through life, but you truly do not have much power over your DNA, your boss' mood, the crowds at Costco, and thousands of other things. However, you do have control of one very important thing, the way you think about any situation. You can change your perspective.
Although the concept of the power of perspective seems simple, it is the contrary. It is easy to forget this power that we all have, this little secret weapon in our pocket. This is because perspective takes a conscious effort. You need to make the decision to control the way you see a situation. It could be the worse thing that ever happen or with new eyes, a blessing in disguise.
That's why I share my story of survival and life change in both When All Balls Drop and With New Eyes. In the first book, I unveil the two-word mantra of #LookUp, which stems from the power of perspective. I used and continue to implement this mantra into my survival from a cash-in-your-chips moment nearly six years ago where I had lost everything. I found the upside of losing my health, marriage, and career through concentrating on the two principles of #LookUp:
1) Be aware of your surroundings, appreciating the beauty around you as well as hazards. In essence, be in the moment and mindful.
2) Spin each situation positively. Although many situation appear negative at first, they are all learning opportunities. There are NO wasted experiences. Every hurdle, wound, and life hiccup turns into wisdom.
Many people use other techniques to shift their perspective: yoga, counseling, gardening, and meditating. In fact in my second book, I piggyback on #LookUp by revealing my unique form of meditation, "Adventure is my meditation." Yes, it doesn't sound intuitive, you'll just have to dive into With New Eyes. However, if #LookUp resonates with you, please use it and even combine it with your current meditation practice whether yoga or adventure like myself. When you are going through the TSA line at the airport, just got off the phone with bad news from your boss, or just got into another fender bender from your long commute, use the two simple principles to flip your situation and see it with new eyes. Perhaps your delay at TSA gave you a pass so that you missed a telemarketer's phone call with your phone on the x-ray belt or maybe you will start thinking out of the box and start the business you always wanted without a long commute, less driving, and of course less probably of more fender benders.
Recently, I did a Periscope chat from my backyard in Fort Lauderdale chatting about perspective, my story, books, and #LookUp. Check it out.
If you like the message of #LookUp, please share it with your connections on social media using the hashtag #LookUp. You can also connect to #LookUp on Facebook and Twitter. And, don't forget to get a copy of each of my down-to-earth books, When All Balls Drop and With New Eyes.
Here's to looking up!
