how you choose to look at things matters

The simple idea of getting in a line for a giant Ferris wheel and eventually hopping on it might induce fear and anxiety in you. You know you would be an emotional mess if you go on it. Yet if you were to look at the same wheel from a distance while sitting on a pier, you might find it beautiful and calming. You might label one as stressful, and one as soothing. 

Or consider you’re stuck badly in a Mumbai traffic in the evening. You would find the entire experience tormenting. But if you go back in time, and remember the aerial view of Mumbai at night as you were on an airplane about to land in the city, you would recollect how gorgeous the city along with its slow-moving traffic looked. One is a traffic jam, while other is a light spectacle.

Same thing, same reality, but different perspectives and hence different emotions and experiences. Isn’t it fascinating?

This journey of life is not too different. We can either find it difficult or nerve-racking, or we can look at it as an exciting and challenging adventure. We can choose to label something on our way as an obstacle or an opportunity. We can either become a victim or identify ourselves as a victor. We can either find this human experience messy and chaotic or instead see order and harmony in it. 

The lens that we choose to see life through is entirely up to us. So, why not use those lenses that help us look at things in the right light and that empower us to move forward, overcome challenges, eliminate negativity within and around us, and become light-hearted and reassured?

How we choose to look at things has a direct impact on the nature of the reality we live in. As Marcus Aurelius wrote in one of his reflections, “Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought, for the human spirit is colored by such impressions.” That’s why, we must be careful as we choose the filters through which we see the world, today and always. 

What we think about defines our reality, it’s as simple as that. So, what lens are you going to choose? How do you want your experiences to be — awesome or awful? How would you like to show up in this world — terrified or confident? Who do you want to be — A warrior or a worrier? A victor or a victim? It’s entirely up to you. The perspectives you choose dictate how you live and what your life stands for in the end.