-Looking at things in reverse can be a powerful opportunity for optimism.

Shifting perspective is a powerful thing. This week, I have a simple exercise for you to do. Read this poem aloud, line by line. When finished, check in with yourself about the message and how it makes you feel.

I am part of a lost generation.
And I refuse to believe that
I can change the world.
I realize this may be a shock, but
“Happiness comes from within”
Is a lie, and
“Money will make me happy”
So in thirty years, I will tell my children
They are not the most important thing in my life.
My employer will know that
I have my priorities straight because
Work
Is more important than
Family
I tell you this:
Once upon a time
Families stayed together
But this will not be true in my era.
This is a quick fix society
Experts tell me
Thirty years from now, I will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of my divorce.
I do not concede that
I will live in a country of my own making.
In the future,
Environmental destruction will be the norm.
No longer can it be said that
My peers and I care about this Earth.
It will be evident that
My generation is apathetic and lethargic.
It is foolish to presume that
There is hope.

And all of this will come true unless we reverse it.

Pause for a moment. Now reread the poem, but this time from the bottom up, line by line. How has the message changed? How have your feelings changed?

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Shifting perspective has nothing to do with changing circumstances. It has everything to do with seeing those circumstances from another vantage point. 

What I love about shifting perspective is that it frees you from all-or-nothing thinking. It gives you options. When you feel stuck at a dead end, options are what you want.

Til next week,
Jo-Aynne Von Born, Executive Coach READYSETMORE

Work Your Authentic Genius.
Flourish using your own intelligence!
1. Think of a challenge that frustrates you. What happens when you do a 180-degree turn and try to see it from a more optimistic person’s perspective?
2. What evidence makes your challenge so compelling that it’s difficult to look at differently? How have you made assumptions? Have you taken into account that you can grow and change?
3. Just for fun, write a short paragraph about your challenge. Read it aloud. Then go back and read it in reverse, sentence by sentence. It may not be as effective as this poem, but it might allow you to see something you didn’t see before.