What is perspective? It is the way in which we look at aspects of life. It is our ability to look at different scenarios in our own personal ways. It is subjective. People can have similar viewpoints on the same thing, but the mindset and perspective of each individual can vary. Some people are more optimistic — they are able to find the good in situations that can sometimes seem impossible. Others are more pessimistic; they may expect the worst out of everything. Finally, others fall somewhere in the middle. Perspectives are molded by experiences, biological aspects and individual aspects of our own life. It is very important to hear a variety of different perspectives in order to understand things from many different angles.
1. Is the glass half empty or half full?
This is probably the most common example of perspective. It is believed that if we look at the glass half full, we are an optimist. If we look at the glass and say it's half empty, it is more of a pessimistic approach. It is important that we all remember to live a more “glass-half-full” lifestyle; it is important to find the good in every situation.
2. One man's trash is another man's treasure.
As children, we ran around our backyards and when we discovered these dandelions, we would be in awe. These flowers allowed us to let our imaginations run wild — we could wish for anything we wanted, whether it was realistic or not. However, a gardener or landscaper may look at this as a weed taking away from the beauty of their landscape. It’s all in how you perceive things.
3. Don't judge a book by its cover.
Things are not always as they appear. The photo above is a great example: one man gave more money because he had more and another gave less, but it was all he had. He gave everything he had but looked inferior because the other gave away more money. Don’t always judge things by how they may look on the outside.
4. It's OK to be a little different.
Often in life, people think there is one solution or there is only one certain way to accomplish a goal. But different things work for different people. People have different perspectives and viewpoints. That doesn't mean any one way is better than another. Ultimately, in achieving a goal there are many ways to get there. Allow people to do what works for them rather than trying to convince them of something else.
5. Who will define you?
Throughout life, we meet a lot of people. Some stay in our lives for long periods of time, whereas others are there temporarily. It's important to surround yourself with people who bring you happiness. Always prioritize spending time with your loved ones because they are a huge part of who you are.
6. Make the best out of it, no matter the circumstance.
One of the oldest phrases in the book is "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade." I'm sure we all know those people who try to make even a bad day a fun one. Make the best out of everything in life because you'll never get that time back.
7. You vs. everyone else.
Our immediate circle of people we see every day is minuscule in comparison to the world's population. Because of that, we can sometimes forget everyone is experiencing different things. For example, today someone gave birth to someone who will be the apple of their eye. Someone will grieve over a loved one and it will be the worst day of their life. Someone else will get the job they went to school for, for at least 16 years in order to get, and another person will fall in love with their soulmate. Everyone is going through different things. Remember that everyone's experiences are different than your own.
8. You have the keys to your future.
Opportunities may not always come to us, but every now and then an opportunity will come to you that will thrill you. However, most of the time we need to put ourselves out there and maybe make an opportunity for ourselves that may have not originally been there.
9. Nobody's perfect.
Life is a learning opportunity; each day grants us the opportunity to learn something new. Sometimes we are wrong, sometimes we make mistakes and sometimes we are at fault. However, there are two ways you can approach this: you can either deny these mistakes or you can own up to your mistakes and use them as a learning opportunity. People always recognize when someone admits to their faults and uses them as a learning opportunity to better themselves.
10. Your impact.
I'm sure we have all experienced something like this: everything seems to be going wrong – you were stuck in traffic, you spilt your breakfast all over your new shirt, etc. Then someone offers the tiniest bit of unexpected kindness and it turns the entire day around. All these worries from your day seem so small now. You have an impact to make or break someone's day.
11. Your choice.
There are going to be things in life that are going to upset you or anger you. However, it is your choice to define your own mindset and your own perspective. It’s inevitable to get upset about things sometimes, but it is your choice to find the good that outweighs the bad and to find good in every situation. Remember: every second you dwelling on something that made you upset, you are missing an opportunity to smile at all the beautiful things this life has to offer.
