By 1 PERSPECTIVE SHIFT YOU NEED WHEN YOU CAN’T CHANGE ANYTHING ELSE
Angel Chernoff
“On my nursing shift at the hospital this evening, I was forced into a moment of clarity when I got off my phone, utterly flustered after having an argument with my husband, and an eight-year-old patient who’s dying of leukemia asked me if I was okay.”
. . .
“Today is the ten-year anniversary of the day I had planned on ending my life. It’s also the ten-year anniversary of the day I found out I was pregnant with my now nine-year-old son. He’s the reason I changed my mind. And he is so worth it! But perhaps most important, I now realize I am worth it too.”
. . .
These anecdotes have been transcribed with permission from coaching sessions we’ve recently conducted with VIP “Think Better, Live Better 2019” attendees. And if there’s one thing these people’s stories have it common, it’s the importance of our perspective. What we see in life—how we feel about ourselves, our lives, and the people around us—greatly depends on how we think. And the somewhat scary truth is, our perspective on just about everything comes from the psychological cage we’ve been conditioned to live in. A cage created by . . .
- A difficult or disappointing past
- A privileged or sheltered life
- Social influence
- Pop-culture and mass-media stereotyping
And the list goes on.
Gradually, unbeknownst to us, our cage—our conditioning—drains our mental energy, leaving us vulnerable to bad decision making.
Let that sink in for a moment. Think about it in context to your own life . . .
Ultimately, the mind is your battleground. It’s the place where the fiercest and most ruthless conflict resides. It’s where half of the things you feared were going to happen, never actually happened. It’s where your expectations always get the best of you. It’s where you fall victim to your own train of thought time and time again. And if you allow these self-defeating thoughts to dwell in your mind, they will succeed in robbing you of peace, joy, productivity, meaning, and ultimately your life. You will think yourself into endless disappointment, heartache, and even depression.
But are you ready for the silver lining?
YOU CAN change the way you think.
And if you can change the way you think, you can let go and master a new way to be.
