It’s been said that in many ways, life is what we make it.
All of us face problems and trials at times, and normal life involves a mixture of bad news along with the good. We often allow our happiness and well-being to fluctuate up and down based on the ebb and flow of our circumstances.
It doesn’t have to be that way, and it depends on how we choose to look at things. Because it turns out that life is as we see it.
“Adjusting our perspective” is a common phrase, albeit one over-used as a self-help homily for how we can improve our life. But sometimes the most profound wisdom is familiar, and adjusting our perspective is one of the most powerful tools we have available to us for living life better. In fact, learning to adjust how we perceive our circumstances is critical to how we experience life overall.
We can choose a better life by adjusting our perspective. And likely doing it again. Perhaps every day.
The Bad News – Life is Tough at Times
In this life we will have trials and problems. Sooner or later, and probably both. Plus, whether we are aware of it or not, we all have issues that trouble us, sometimes things we may struggle with for much of our lives.
Who is it that has all these problems and issues?
Basically, everybody I know. For sure, everyone I know well. Those are the people I’m close enough to so that I see what is really going on in their lives, so that’s how I know. But I’m pretty sure that holds true for everybody. Including you.
Personally, I find myself mired in insecurity and worry more often than I should be. Like this week, when work and finances and family and “stuff going on” all seemed to be adding up to more than I wanted to deal with. It happens to all of us.
And there’s more bad news for some of us who may be thinking everything will get better soon.
Circumstances will never work out perfectly in our life. The grass on the other side of the fence is normally not greener; it’s just more grass. And the people in our life? Well, they’re not perfect either.
Wow, that seems like a lot of bad news. Is there any good news to look forward to?
The Good News – Life Can Still Be Good
There are lots of things–all valid–we could say about how trials will surely pass. That we can grow from the troubles we face. And that issues can make us stronger and put us in position to help others.
Those things are all important, and true, but they are not the point of this article.
This is about adjusting our perspective so we look at things differently. To help us move from the naïve expectation that life is supposed to be perfect to a more balanced view that there will always be ups and downs, good things and bad things we must face. And that this type of less-than-ideal experience is not only normal, but it is also where we can find joy and contentment.
Many people spend so much time worrying about their circumstances that they never get around to the more important task of living. Life will never be perfect. When we accept that fact, we are better positioned for what life is meant to bring us in terms of peace, joy, and purpose. Because we can find happiness every day if we keep our eyes open and have the right perspective.
Life is meant to be–overall–good. And each of us can experience that good life. It’s up to us.
Adjusting Our Perspective
But how do we go about adjusting our perspective? What do we actually do? There are a number of approaches that can help.
Surrender our reliance on outcomes (and hold onto our hope) – Each day, our job is to do the next right thing. Ultimately, we do not control what happens. Letting go of outcomes will lessen our worry about the ups and downs of life so we can retain our hope, even in tough times. Our role is to do the best we can and enjoy life along the way.
Surrender our expectations of others (and hold onto acceptance) – Similarly, we do not control other people and, sometimes, we will be hurt by what they do. But we can practice acceptance, and we can continue to share our lives with others while not depending on them to make us happy. Somehow, we find more joy in relationships when we are less dependent on them.
Surrender our compulsion for happy circumstances (and hold onto joy) – From our perspective, life will not always be fair. If we accept that as the norm, we can stop tying our happiness only to the state of our circumstances. This will help us enjoy life in the moment and appreciate our blessings a day at a time. We better see the wonders in front of us when we stop expecting perfection.
Surrender our pride and unbelief (and hold onto faith) – Faith is when we make a conscious decision to trust God. We declare that God is good, and we recognize that he is bigger than our circumstances. We choose to not let what happens in the short term affect our faith in the long term. Choosing the perspective of living in trust makes every day better.
Sorry there are no magic formulas, no easy 1-2-3 answers. Simply an assurance that life can be good. And we can better achieve that good life if we choose to surrender the things we cling to out of our compulsive desire for control.
And after we have done what we can to adjust our perspective, what happens then? We do it again tomorrow.
Question: On a normal day, do you feel you have a realistic and healthy perspective?
Action: Pray about which of the “surrender” examples you should focus on the most.
