We See What We Look For

At the dawn of each new year, there is always so much emphasis on change: New year, new beginnings. New year, new me. Out with the old, in with the new. Most times, the focus of those changes is related to external circumstances. We are banking on the new year bringing us renewed happiness and ushering in changes we have hoped for, perhaps in our relationships, professional lives, or circumstances. The challenge with that focus is it all depends on things largely outside of our control. We can’t control the other person in our relationships; we can’t control how our boss or colleagues treat us or if we’ll get a positive response to that application we submitted; we can’t control hitting the lottery and becoming independently wealthy and living the rest of our days in ease.

But there is something we can control and it holds even more promise of positive change for our lives than any of the external things do. We can control our perspectives, our mindsets, how we see things. And while that may sound minor, it truly is not. Our mindset determines how we respond to adversity, how we manage pain, how we face challenges, and how we move forward out of disappointments and delayed dreams.

It begins by shifting how we look at something. After all, we see what we look for. Rather than looking at the negative in the disappointments, delays, and challenges, shift the angle from which you’re looking at it to find the good that thing holds. What lessons does it offer to teach you? What strength does it offer you the opportunity to grow in? What does it beckon you to let go of that may be harming you or holding you back from something even better?

As you begin this new year, I encourage you to discover the power that lies in changing your mindset. As you cultivate perspectives that help you grow, strengthen, and discover what is most meaningful to you, you will find that joy and contentment aren’t wrapped up in your external circumstances after all. They are treasures that you can carry with you all the time and that can help you see the good even in the bad.