Being the Decisive Element
Sometimes, like when I’m having a pity party, I forget that I’m not a “victim” of life’s circumstances. I forget that there are a lot of perspectives from which I could be viewing my life. Some of them may not be so pleasant, but a whole heck of a lot of them could show my life as pretty darn good. As much as I might be “enjoying” my whine, I can remember that I am, as Goethe calls it, the decisive element in the equation.
I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated…
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
What is required is a willingness to change a point of view AND, frankly, a bit of patience while developing the skill of shifting perspective. If we’ve been stuck in a rut of negative thinking, listening to “gremlins,” or whatever we may call it, shifting the thinking may take a while. Why? Because this thinking is likely deeply ingrained…much more so than you would ever guess. And so much so that you probably rarely even notice it…until you’re feeling bummed or blue or out of sorts. But, in that blueness, you’ve got a great opportunity! You can reclaim your power to make life miserable – or joyous! Or not – and isn’t that a point of power to be able to choose even that? Enjoy your whine when that’s what you’ve chosen!
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Not ready to go "gently in to that good night?" Me neither! We have too much to offer the world to go into hiding! And every day offers new opportunities to come out of hiding and shine our lights.
