A Change Of Perception …

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life can seem hardSometimes things can get on top of you. Tasks can seem overpoweringly tedious, and for no apparent reason. Trying to get motivated can seem like the hardest thing in the world. You’re just not making any headway, no matter what you do.

It’s at times like this that a change of perception is called for. Instead of thinking “I’ve got to look after the kids this evening,” think “I get to look after the kids this evening.” See it as a privilege (which it is), not a duty. Instead of thinking “I have to write 3,000 words by the end of the week,” change it to “I’ve only got to write 3,000 words by the end of the week.” See it as easily doable, not tedious and uninteresting.

Just a tiny change, maybe even just one word replacing another … and, to go with it, a very slight change in perspective. And sometimes you can actually feel the weight lifting off your shoulders. It’s that physical!

Imagine you’re facing a long stretch

Ever been inside? I mean, ever been inside with the prospect of five or ten years stretching out ahead of you? Me neither, but it’s an interesting mind game to imagine that you’re just a few weeks into what they call a long stretch. Try it … imagine for a moment that you’ve only been inside less than six weeks (although it feels like months already) and you’ve got the better part of five years left to serve, and nothing you can do about it. F-i-v-e … l-o-n-g … y-e-a-r-s …

in prisonHow would that feel? Think about it … how miserable would that prospect feel to you … and how much you would pine for some of the things you take so much for granted now. That slight shift can make you realise how much you have in your life that is of great and inestimable value. Try to hold onto that feeling and rekindle it anytime you feel life is hard and you can’t get motivated.

Sure, life can be hard, no point in sugar-coating it. But that’s what makes it worth living. And the way we live today is so far in advance of how life was lived even fifty or a hundred years ago. People lived harder lives back then, in comparison to today, and often with little prospect of improvement.

Don’t underestimate the value of the internet

the internetEven those lives were soft compared to a few hundred years earlier. People back then lived much tougher lives, with none of the comforts we’re accustomed to today. We, on the other hand, have it made! Not only do we have what is generally a soft life, but we have opportunities … opportunities to start businesses … to learn things online (and often for free) … to make friends and relationships with people worldwide … to move into different careers … and all through the magic of the internet.

Think of some of the things you have that are almost without price. First, some of the physical things (and these literally are without price) … your sight … your ability to think and make decisions … the ability to breathe and move … the ability to exercise and have full use of your physical faculties. Now think of some of the things you have access to (and mostly free access) — television … the internet … huge amounts of music of all kinds and genres … thousands of books of all kinds … the ability to study and broaden your knowledge more easily than ever in human history … the opportunity to learn languages and benefit from other cultures … the list could go on all day long and still be incomplete.

Being bored just means you can’t be bothered

Being bored with life is just another way of saying you can’t be bothered to make use of it. Do you crawl out of bed in the morning, unwilling and reluctant to shake yourself awake … or do you welcome yet another amazing day brimming over with luscious opportunities to enjoy life and to make the most of it?