Where in your life would a slight shift of perspective make a significant difference in the quality of your relationships and your results?
The choice: to get bitter or get better.
A few years a go, I attended a series of intense Neuro Linguistic Programming classes to become a Master Practitioner of this modality. One of the participants (I’ll call him Randy) was in his early 30’s and rolled into the room in a wheelchair. Randy glowed with enthusiasm and joy.
A few years earlier, Randy had been an exceptional baseball player and those around him expected he was destined for the big leagues. Things changed quickly for him. He was in a serious vehicle crash, resulting in a broken back and paralysis in the lower part of his body. He said he went through a lengthy period of being a victim, feeling sorry for himself, and blaming the world for his misfortune. His friends quit coming to see him, his family started avoiding him, and his emotional downward spiral continued.
At a very low point, he realized he was the only one who could control his destiny. He began to realize that the crash had not ruined his life, it only changed his circumstances and opened a whole new set of opportunities for him to impact the world.
The choice: to get bitter or get better.
Thankfully, most of us haven’t had a life-threatening, life-changing experience like Randy did. Yet, most of us face challenges and inconveniences every day.
The easy thing to do is whine, complain, and blame. I’ve done my fair share of this. I’m not proud of how it affected my relationships, and how it negatively affected my professional results.
The more difficult alternative is to be conscious, aware, and to shift your perspective. I’ve found that when I step back from the situation (dissociate myself from it), I can view the challenge as a gift – an opportunity to be creative, innovative, and to use it to strengthen my relationships. There are always great lessons which I can use in other similar situations.
The choice: to get bitter or get better.
What about you? What’s going on in your life, now, that is a bit of a burr under your saddle blanket? What might be possible for you if you made a slight shift in your perspective?
The choice: to get bitter or get better.
If you’re having trouble making this shift, you are not alone. I invite you to call me and we can work through it together.
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