Choose from an Infinite Possibilities of Meanings: How Shifting Your Lens Can Change How You Feel
I’m guessing you’ve heard some variation of the saying that
‘nothing in life has meaning except the meaning you give it’
(Or something of the sort)
And while there are shared meanings of common occurrences, it can be empowering to know that each of us always has the choice to assign the meaning we give something.
Because of our subconscious mind, and our varied life experiences, a lot of the meanings we give something or about a situation has already been ‘assigned on autopilot’ if you will.
But anytime I’m experiencing emotions that don’t feel so great (such as fear, worry, anxiety, etc), I like to think of these emotions as a simple “Check engine light” that flickered on, alerting me to look under the hood and ask myself:
“What meaning am I giving xyz?”
Or
“What story is running in the background about xyz?”
This process can be tremendously insightful and helpful in changing out perspective; and when our perspective changes, we’re able to shift how we feel, and when we shift how we feel (feeling better/more empowered/feeling what’s possible, etc), we are more likely to take the action that can cause changes in our lives & the world.
There will always be external circumstances that are out of our control, and yet, what will always remain in our control is the way we react and respond to something. And if you’ve heard that before and have wondered, “how?”, now you know one way to do it…look under the hood at the perspective you have or the story that’s running in the background, then choose a new perspective from an infinite amount of possibilities :-)
A current perspective I’ve been playing & experimenting with is that of non-judgement, where I aim to see nothing as “good” or “bad” but simply is, and it’s been interesting and enlightening for sure. A great analogy to illustrate this perspective is via the well known Parable of the Taoist Farmer.
So now I’d love to hear from you!! Feel free to comment below or send a line to hello@jasmineraecoaching.com about a situation or circumstance that you chose to see a different way, and when you did, felt better about it.
