The gift of life is the ultimate gift! And it’s something I now know on such a deep level. But it wasn’t always that way. As someone that suffered from depression for many years and attempted to end my life in 2012, I know first-hand, how transformational life can be when we are willing to change the way we look at the world.
As the late Dr Wayne Dyer said, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
This quote was pivotal in my healing. It encouraged me, and reminded me that I can choose how I see the world. From being stuck in traffic where I could choose to be irritated or I could choose to cherish the “me” time, to having a house to clean and seeing it as a chore or as a gift of a well lived life.
We choose how we see the world and when we really open our eyes, change what we look at and how we see it, it changes everything.
Think of a child who sees clouds for the first time or feels the grass under their bare feet. You can see the amazement on their face as they give their full attention to the experience. And that’s what we need to do. We need to shift our perception to see the world through the eyes of wonder and awe as if we are seeing and experiencing it for the first time. Because in reality, we are seeing it for the first time right now. The things around us that we are looking at have changed, we’re just not aware of how.
Think about your back yard. You may walk out, look around and see the same thing you saw yesterday, but I guarantee it’s different, it’s changed, it’s grown. There will be new leaves growing or dying on your trees and flowers. There may be a new flower that has bloomed or an old flower that has dropped. There may be butterflies or bees or birds. When you really look you will see the changes and notice things you may never have noticed before. What a great way to increase your mindfulness and really get into the present moment?
There are also gifts in the digital world from quotes that touch your heart and inspire you to action to watching the strength of others as they overcome adversity. If they can pull themselves out of a tragedy or trauma, then you can too. Choose to increase the positive news and information you consume on digital media and reduce the negative news.
One of my favourite quotes from the movies is from A Wrinkle in Time:
Mrs. Which: [ to Meg] Do you realize how many events, choices, that had to occur since the birth of the universe leading up to the making of you? Just exactly the way you are.
Meg: I guess I never really thought that.
Mrs. Which: Maybe now is the time to start thinking about it.
Your life is a gift and sometimes we just need to be reminded of that. So I will ask you now, what gifts are you missing out on seeing because of the way you look at your life?
And remember, Happiness Starts with a Smile and Empowerment Starts with a Choice.
