Gift of a New Lens

Have you ever noticed how a slight shift in how we view something makes all the difference? For example, I suspect most everyone has had their eyes tested. The optometrist flips between two different scenarios, only slightly different from each other, and you need to pick “one” or “two”. One may be slightly fuzzy while the other more clear. This continues until you can see clearly.

If we try to take a similar approach to something we would normally see as an annoyance, an embarrassment or even something downright scary, looking at the same scenario with a slightly different “lens” can completely change our perception. 

I thought it would be fun to list out a bunch of little annoyances I’ve experienced and how I could have looked at them in a slightly different light:

• Walking into the mall on a busy Saturday afternoon with my two daughters, I slipped on the ice and fell straight down on my hands and knees. I was mortified but they had a good old belly laugh. New Lens: Belly laughs are good for the soul. I gave a boost to their health and my hands and knees only stung for a little while. I should have laughed right along with them. Besides, it could have been so much worse!
• The sass coming out of my 17-year-old daughter’s mouth can sometimes drive me crazy. New Lens: She’s only sassy a small-ish percentage of the time and she needs to have a backbone so people don’t walk all over her in life. I can help teach her to properly funnel her sass so it can be an asset and not a liability!
• I get so irritated when Netflix keeps buffering when I try to watch an old episode of Grey’s Anatomy with my youngest. Our internet isn’t great. New Lens: Quit wasting that tiny window of time to check my phone. Instead, use these little snippets to find out from my teenager how her day went and what’s new with her friends.
• It’s April 8th and we still have snow on the ground and more possible. New Lens: The sun is shining, this is simply a pause before spring blooms, and patience is a virtue.
• I wake up at 3:00 in the morning and my mind insists on kicking into high gear and figuring out the answer to all the world’s problems instead of allowing me to fall back to sleep. New Lens: Some really good ideas have come out of this hyper-drive state-of-mind. Flip on the light, jot the idea down quickly, then try to go back to sleep.
• One of my most embarrassing moments was when I accidently used the men’s bathroom in the Minneapolis airport while on a business trip (i.e. dressed in a suit, carrying a laptop bag, etc.). No one was in there when I went into a stall. Suddenly, I heard a man’s voice talking to a small child. I thought it was rude a man came into the women’s bathroom to help their son or daughter. They should have used the family bathroom. But then I heard another guy clear his throat. The bathroom was filling up with men. I was horrified as it dawned on me I was the one in the wrong restroom. Should I stay until it cleared out? But there were only a few stalls and people were waiting. I put my head down, made zero eye contact and buzzed out as quickly as I could. New Lens: A person doesn’t really die of embarrassment and it was an honest mistake. Try to reassure your teenagers of this.
• After a long winter with too little physical activity, the pants feel too tight and I’m frustrated with myself. New Lens: Go buy one or two new outfits for a little spring wardrobe boost and to get me through until I can walk off these extra pounds outside. After all, a little shopping is fun and I can’t go naked!
• When it’s Sunday night and I am not excited to head back to the office on Monday morning. New Lens: My job allows me to experience so many positives in my life, feel gratitude.
• I’m mad at myself when too much time has passed since I last went to the gym, even though I pay for it through automatic withdrawals. New Lens: Find a class with music and dancing, push myself to go, and then enjoy the dancing. Don’t overthink it. I’ll feel better.
• I don’t enjoy traveling for work. I miss my family and home. New Lens: Sometimes it can be fun. I remember getting to San Francisco early one time, a few hours before our meetings started. I put on my tennis shoes, asked for directions down at the hotel front desk, and made my way down to Fisherman’s Wharf by myself. It was a great reminder how much there is to see in this world and we just need to be brave enough to go exploring, even if we do it alone.

 
None of these examples are big deals. But like so much in life, it’s the little things that can make all the difference. Laugh at yourself. Find the lesson in things. Take a deep breath and find the good in things. It’ll do your heart and your blood pressure good, not to mention how much of a boost it can give your attitude. Believe me, I don't always remember to do this, but I'm working on it.

Where can you shift to a new lens? There is always something to smile about!  Kim