When I was a child I watched an episode of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery called Hell’s Bells. It was about a hippy (played by John Astin) who gets killed in a car accident and arrives in a waiting room which he presumes is hell. He is excited about it and expects to see all the whips, chains, torture, fire and brimstone of classic hell.
As time progresses, he is taken to a sitting room. There an older couple wants to show him thousands of slides of their vacation, an old man talks to him about farming and an old woman is listening to music that the hippy hates. Eventually, Satan appears and the hippy asks where the real Hell is. Satan explains that this is the hippy’s hell and yet for the other people it is their heaven. So it’s a matter of perspective – one person’s hell is another person’s heaven.
Your Life
The same is true of life. Your life can be viewed in so many different ways and what you focus upon defines what you receive.
You can get up in the morning and grumble “Another day” or you can get up and cheerfully say “Another day!” That sets the tone for your day – you can have a struggle or a joy depending upon your point of view.
Look at what you have in your life. Do you appreciate those things, people, and events that you have or do you focus on what you don’t have? Do you focus only on what is wrong with your life or on what is right with your life?
Focusing on what is right with your life lets the universe know you’d like more of that! Focusing on what is wrong with your life tells the universe you’d like more or that! Which would you prefer? What you focus upon multiplies!
Grateful Doesn’t Mean Quitting
Being grateful for what you have doesn’t mean that you don’t desire changes and can’t ask for something different; it just allows you to appreciate all the wonders and joys that you have created in your life so far and ask for more things that will create the life you like having.
Viewing your life from the perspective of “this sucks” creates so much more frustration and unhappiness until you can feel as if you are drowning in that.
Whereas, viewing your life from the perspective of having gratitude for what you have and for what you have accomplished and learned creates a deep sense of joy and happiness.
Which perspective do you have?
Which perspective would you like to have?
Shifting Your Perspective
If you’re stuck in “this sucks”, then start by sitting down and writing down three things that are good in your life … people, things, circumstances, whatever. Maybe it’s simply that you saw a lovely sunrise or that your coffee tasted really good this morning. Whatever it is, write it down.
Now feel the gratitude for having those things in your life. Thank each one. Just sit with that feeling for a few minutes. Allow that feeling to spread out. It can really shift your mood.
Then smile.
Yes, smile.
Better?
It usually helps me.
You can do it any time that you find yourself in that grumpy, unhappy, frantic type of mood.
Just stop and find something to be grateful for.
It can turn your life around!
You can have heaven or you can have hell. It’s all a matter of perspective.
Would you like a deeper dive into the power of gratitude? Please join me for Gratitude For Life 21-Day Challenge. Click here for more information.
You may enjoy my Gratitude For Life Journal to help you discover your joys in life. Click here for more information.
