This is a simple exercise to illustrate the power of perspective. Take a moment, wherever you are, and look at your surroundings. You could be in your room, at work, anywhere. As you look around, try to notice all the things that are unpleasant. Be detailed; really take note of all the things you observe. Now do the opposite. Look around just as you did the first time. This time notice all the things around you that are pleasing. Be detailed again, really noticing everything.
Notice that when you set the intention to look for the unpleasant things, it was really easy to see them. They stood out for you. Maybe you are in your room. You noticed the laundry on the floor; you noticed a crack in the window; you noticed the dirty baseboards. When you did the opposite, what happened? Probably the same thing, except all the positive qualities stood out. You noticed how beautiful the painting on the wall is. You noticed a picture of a loved one and felt warm feelings for them. You looked through the window and saw a nice blue sky. You’re in the same space, but a change in your perspective will cause you to see it completely differently based on what you are looking for. That’s the key phrase, “what you are looking for.” Your way of looking at the world is the catalyst for your experience in it. You will find what it is you seek. If your perspective is that the world is a horrible place, full of hate, you will experience a world that is mostly horrible and full of hate. If your perspective is that humans are capable of incredible love and compassion, you will experience a world that is mostly full of love and compassion.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to delude you into believing that by putting on rose-colored glasses, you will only experience bliss. With a positive perspective, bad things will still happen. You will still have experiences that are unpleasant. What I’m telling you, though, is that you find what you are looking for. When you set the intention to shift your perspective to a positive one, those are the aspects you will notice the most.
I encourage you to try this. It’s very simple. At the beginning of your day, set an intention to notice the things in your reality that are positive. You don’t have to put a lot of conscious effort into this. Just reset your intention to notice the positive things a few times throughout the day. At the end of each day, make a note of a few positive things you noticed. You can do this mentally, but it’s helpful to write it down. Do this for a couple of days in a row. At the end of your little experiment, notice how you are feeling. I’m willing to bet that it’s in a better place than where you started.