The world is the way you look at it…

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at changes”.

-         Dr. Wayne Dyer

It is indeed true that the world around us is what we have created for ourselves.  There are different ways to look at every situation, thing and person. The way we look at it also depends a lot on our feelings and emotions. It is the intention in the mind that manifests the situation.

There are broadly, two ways to look at a situation, positive and negative. Positive is an opportunity and negative is a threat. A situation is as big as the way we look at it. When we look at a situation as if it is a disaster, it will become a disaster. If we look at the same situation as an opportunity, yes, a great opportunity is created.

Let’s look at this from a personal and professional point of view……

Personal:

We are what we believe we are, and the world around us manifests the way we start looking at it. If we have a complaining attitude, then we have many things to complain about, our road conditions, traffic, people around us, etc. It is human that we try to find a reason, to blame someone or something for our failure; rather than learning from it and finding opportunities. It is also a tendency to build perceptions about everything and everyone we meet, and the first impression means a lot to us. Once we have built the first impression it’s very hard to change the perception about that person or thing.

Talking about the world around us, mostly what we hear is the bad news (thanks to the news channels)! We get to hear about the way the world is at war, people are killing each other, or hatred among different communities, etc. We always tend to get influenced by these facts very fast and start building perceptions. The world, in reality, is a very beautiful place!

Begin looking at everything around you through a positive lens and see the difference, it will transform your life. When we want to start something new, we have good intentions but, we also indulge in a negative thought, “what if it fails?”. And if we start with this thought, more often than not, we end up facing some hurdle or the other. To state an example, many people wish to start a business of their own, but the fear of failure keeps them away. The first thought itself is negative “fear of failure”! How can one be successful if the start itself is negative?

Then how do we really build a positive perspective in our life? Here are a few thoughts:

- Whenever you meet someone for the first time, focus only on the good qualities of that person. Do not create an impression of the person in the first interaction.

- When you start to office, visualise yourself enjoying the journey, traffic jams helping you to listen to that favourite song or music you love. This can even be done at the beginning of the day by visualising the complete day.

- Stay away from the news about hatred, killing, etc. Instead, spend time on some peaceful music or things you would like to learn. Go out make some friends, spend quality time with them. The world out there is a beautiful place with lovely people, go out and meet them.

- Always keep in mind that “whatever happens, happens for good”. Make sure you look at everything through a positive lens.

Professional:

Let me start with a small story about Steve Jobs. Most of us know the infamous exit of Steve from Apple. If Steve had looked at that as a failure, he would not have been as famous as he is today. He made sure that he looked at it as an opportunity, not a failure. He learned his lessons, started a new company, sold it to Apple to get back to Apple as an advisor and ended up being a CEO. He transformed Apple on his comeback and placed it on the top of the list. This is known as, sensing an opportunity in every failure, to make it big.

If you have lost your job, it is difficult. But it could be because you are due for a better job or maybe you are ready to start something on your own. It is to move you away from your comfort zone, to get the best out of you. Do not look at this as an end to everything or as a failure. There are ample opportunities around, it’s just the way we look at the situation. Every person has their strengths, they just need to work on it. We can even end up make a living out of it.

At the office, there are a lot of things we are worried about, visibility, recognition, competition, etc. If you feel people are trying to put you down, that means you are direct competition for them. Do not get bullied, just take it positively and stay focused on your work. You will emerge as a winner. Do not get into gossips at the office, this is the most powerful negative feeling and will build a negative image about you.

In business, if your revenue is going down, maybe it’s time to try a different approach or diversify your business and try something new. If you are planning to start a business, do not have fear. Instead, fill yourself with confidence. Visualise your business grow big and place yourself in the right frame of mind.

Failure is the stepping stone to Success:

As the saying goes “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”  It’s up to us to look at the glass as half full or half empty. Let’s build a habit of looking at things with the right mindset. For some, success comes faster than others! So do not give up, just wait for your turn. To know the world better, travel places, meet the lovely people out there and you will get to know for yourself. Research says, you are shaped by the people around you and especially by the 5 closest to you. It's important the kind of friends you have, the right company makes you prosper in life. If you are in a bad company, either change your company or change the company. 

Starting today, look at everything that happens in your life with a different perception. Say, “it happens for a reason” and look at it through a positive frame of mind. There are forces in the universe to help you. These forces will unite when you need them. There is an invisible force out there to grant all our wishes, irrespective of it being positive or negative. What is your next thought?