By A NEW 2-MINUTE READ THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE TODAY (AND SPARE SOME PAIN)
Angel Chernoff
Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.
That’s the super-short version of our advice for those moments when nothing seems to be going as planned; when everything you want seems out of reach; when you feel utterly stuck.
Yes, just be right where you are, with an open mind.
Let go of what you think your life is supposed to look like and sincerely appreciate it for everything it is.
Easier said than done, of course, especially when tragedy strikes. And although Marc and I have coped and grown through our fair share of real tragedies, which you will hear more about throughout this book, let’s be honest about something: 98 percent of the time we create tragedy in our lives out of fairly minor incidents. Something doesn’t go exactly as planned, but rather than learn from the experience, we freak out about it and let stress become us.
Our challenge for you is to start choosing differently—don’t let the little things that are out of your control dominate you!
The biggest difference between peace and stress is attitude. It’s all about how you look at a situation and what you decide to do with it. It’s remembering that there are no certainties in life; we don’t know exactly what the future will bring. So your best strategy for living is to make the best and most positive use of the present moment, even when it disappoints you . . .
Especially when it disappoints you!
How disappointed would you be to get twenty years down the road and discover you were meant to appreciate and enjoy life, while all you did was resist and doubt it?
Your life, with all its ups and downs, unexpected twists and turns, has brought you to this moment. It took each and every intricate, confusing, and painful situation you have encountered to bring you to right here, right now.
And if you have the courage to admit that you’re a little scared, and have the ability to smile even as you cry, the nerve to ask for help when you need it, and the wisdom to take it when it’s offered, then you have everything you need.
You just have to believe it so you can take the next step.
In our New York Times bestselling book, Getting Back to Happy: Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Reality, and Turn Your Trials into Triumphs, Marc and I guide readers through this process of perspective change—and stepping forward through life’s painful twists and turns.
Truth be told, inner peace begins the moment you take a deep breath and choose not to allow an uncontrollable event to dominate you in the long-term. You are not what happened to you. You are what you choose to become in this moment. Let go, breathe, and begin again…
Also, if you haven’t done so already, watch our recent interview on the Today Show where we discuss our personal journey of perspective change … to move our lives forward through grief and hardship:
Honestly, that interview was a pleasure. The feedback from people, near and far, has been nothing short of inspiring. We are sincerely humbled and grateful. 🙂
Take the time you need to get your mind right.
Seriously, if you are struggling in some way right now, do your best to keep in mind that although it might not seem so, better days are coming. The test always comes before the merit. The struggle always proceeds the strength. You have to endure breakdowns to break through them. Take it one day at a time, and trust the journey. It will make sense soon.
Learn to change your perspective and let GO…
And keep in mind that letting go isn’t about having the ability and courage to release the past—it’s about having the wisdom and strength to embrace the present. It’s not about forgetting—it’s about remembering without fear. It’s stepping forward, untethered, with a present mind and a lesson learned.
