It's All About Perspective

I've recently been obsessed with the show Walking Dead. I know I'm a bit late to the game, as the show is now on its 6th season. Admittedly, I was very hesitant to start watching because the idea of zombies wasn't too appealing. Having now watched 5 seasons, I have to say that despite all the guts and gore, the show has much more depth than I expected. In particular, there was an episode that really resonated with me.

Just to provide some context for those of you who don't watch the show - the world is in an apocalyptic state as a result of a plague that has turned a majority of the population into mindless cannibals aka "Walkers". The main characters are largely strangers that have come together to form an alliance of sorts in an attempt to survive in the face of Walkers and limited resources.

In one of the episodes (season 5 - episode 2, I think), two of the characters (Bob and Sasha) play this game about "perspective". Sasha would come up with a seemingly negative situation or circumstance and Bob would counter by giving it a positive spin.

"Wet socks -- Cool feet"

"Mosquito bites -- Itching, to remind you that you're alive"

"Danger around every corner -- Never a dull moment"

"Sun beating down on you -- Glorious tan"

"No privacy -- Captive Audience"

Bob is one of my favourite characters on the show. His character's personality and perspective on life is refreshing, especially when juxtaposed with the show's motifs of doom, hopelessness, and struggle. His character is a good reminder that even in times of hardship, your attitude can really influence how you perceive your situation or circumstances.

It's all about perspective.

Even though Bob's character is fictional, people like Bob do exist in this world ... and I admire them! I admire them for their courage to accept adversity. I admire them for their ability to see beyond their current struggles. And I admire them for their unwavering perseverance to continue to enjoy life even when the odds are against them.

Over time, I've come to realize that self pity does no good (in any situation). All it does or will do is create a focal point for you to fixate on all the things that are not going right in your life. Life is not fair. Instead of thinking about how life has treated you unfairly, you should be grateful and thankful for your circumstances because there is always someone out there who is struggling harder. There is no sense in wishing away the negative and wishing for the positive, when at the end of the day all you're doing is wishing. Your life is what's been given to you, so live with it. Live "with" it sounds bad. But, I say that knowing that often times it's very difficult to change your perspective on something, especially when you're used to viewing it as being negative. Ultimately, the goal here (and this is a huge goal for me!) is to become so well-adapted to perceiving the positive in every situation that you're not simply living with it, you just live it. 

So, what was I thinking when I recently got the flu? (or at least I tried  to remind myself to think)

"I have the flu -- It's not fatal, I will recover"

"I have no appetite -- This will help curb my overeating"

"I can't make it to work -- I can catch up on sleep"

"I don't have the energy to workout -- I have more time to watch Walking Dead"

Set Your Intentions and Make It Happen

Welcome 2016!

January 1st came and left just as quickly as 2015... and now we nearing the second weekend of January! I came back from vacation several days after New Year's and never got around to making a post about my new year resolutions.

Although, I make "new year resolutions" in anticipation of a new year (like many others) ... my resolutions are more like daily resolutions that I like to reaffirm when a new year comes around. 

(Similar to how some people renew their wedding vows from time to time)

This is because I can never wait for a new year to come around to resolve to make an improvement in my life. LIFE IS SHORT. However, this is not to say that I don't support people who find meaning in making new resolutions every year. To each their own! For me, when I recognize an area in my life that is in my control to change for the better ... I want to start that change right away!!! At the same, this doesn't mean that the actual change happens right away, nor does it mean that I'm always successful in making every change that I want to make. It simply means that I acknowledge when a change is necessary and I commit to making the change. 

But like I said, I'm not always successful in my endeavours. Change doesn't happen overnight; it's not easy and it takes time. I know lot of people (myself included) often give up before the change can even happen. This is more than understandable, considering most changes involve struggle and failure. BUT, I've learned time and time again that authentic change requires motivation, determination, commitment, and resilience (yes, all those powerful things!). In addition to that, I've gathered some other tips that have proven to be helpful and here they are: 

1. Be positive

Be optimistic about your ability to change and believe that you are capable of doing it!  Be confident in yourself and focus on the little steps you can take to eventually get to where you want to be, instead of worrying about potential hardships or obstacles that might stand in your way.

2. Be realistic

Even though you should always be optimistic, it's important to also be realistic. Ambition is great until it pushes you to make unrealistic goals that lead to inevitable failure. Start small and take little steps. It might take longer for you to get to where you want to be, but slow and steady wins the race! There is no point is setting unachievable goals because that's just going to discourage you from continuing.

3. Have a plan

Another reason why I think a lot of people give up before change happens is because they don't take the time to plan out how they are going to effect the change. You can't get from Point A to Point B without figuring out the route to get there! Visualize the change in your mind and visualize yourself taking the steps to do it. This always helps to motivate me and helps me to take my first steps in the right direction.

4. Be kind to yourself

A lot of people always think to be kind to others, but seldom remember to be kind to themselves. Be kind to yourself! Be patient! Remember that it's totally okay to not achieve all your goals all at once, as long as you are moving forward. And even if you take a couple of steps backwards ... it's ok! As long as you learn from your mistakes.

"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." - Confucius

I'm not going to share my entire list of personal resolutions, but for the sake of giving an example:

Ever since I started working full-time, it's been difficult for me to stay on track with my workouts. Being active and healthy is very important to me. So, whenever I feel that I'm not getting in enough exercise, I feel anxious and even disappointed in myself. For a long time, I've contemplated the idea of fitting in my workouts before work. Although I am likely more of a "morning person" than a lot of people I know, I am not a natural early-riser and waking up earlier than I have to (especially on a work day) is difficult for me. At the same time, I've discovered from past experience that working out first thing in the morning makes me feel great. It helps to energize me, boost my metabolism, improve my mood ... and the list goes on. 

Recently, I've decided to stop making excuses for myself. I realize that if it's THAT important to me to stay active, I can find the time and willpower to get up early. I started by committing to waking up early 2-3 days/week to workout before work. I knew that if I started out by forcing myself to get up 7 days/week, I would give up quickly because that would be unrealistic. So far, I've managed to stay on track. Perhaps I'll check back in 3 weeks or so to write an update about my progress :) Once I get used to waking up early twice a week, I'll likely push myself to wake up 4 days/week.  In any case, I realize that at the end of the day ... my reason for wanting to make this change is so I could feel better about myself and be happier. That in itself motivates me to keep going.

With that being said, always remember that any change you want to make should be about YOU. There's no point in trying to change when you don't want the change for yourself. You will not be motivated to work hard otherwise.