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"