How to Change Your Perspective
A while ago I found myself in one of those weird, perpetual bad moods. Everything and everyone irked me, and I rarely opened my mouth for anything other than to complain. I should add a little backstory here and tell you that I'm actually one of the perkiest individuals on the planet. Give me a good mix of coffee and curse words, sprinkled with some prayer and I'm generally in a good mood. So for me to be grumpy, something has to be off.
I blamed this looming dark cloud of a mood on several different things: work stress, the tiny humans I teach, the ones I brought into the world, lack of sleep, you name it. It didn't hit me until just before my 30th birthday (yep, I have revealed my age!) that maybe the problem wasn't in my circumstances, but rather in how I viewed them.
Picture this: It's a hot June day, I'm in my pajamas, drinking coffee on my couch, and I get a reminder from my phone calendar. It reads: Pack for Denver!!! Now, a normal, happy person would be overjoyed. Me? I was grumpy because it meant that I had to pack, buy groceries for my family to eat while I was away (because this was a Mami-only trip), do laundry, and clean up the house. Never mind the fact that I'd be in a new city with my brother for 4 days. All I saw was the To-Do List.
Enter my reality check. I figured that old saying about your perception being your reality had to have some kind of truth to it if everyone is always repeating it (although this could've backfired right along the lines of believing that people can't post anything that isn't true on the internet). I decided in that moment that I needed to change things up, but the question was how to go about it.
That's when I came up with my 30 Day Perspective Change Challenge (Ok I didn't really give it that super long name, but it felt necessary to title it now that I am putting it out there for the world.) Don't let the word, "Challenge," scare you off. I only called it that because it was something new, and I chose 30 days because 21 (the time that research says it takes to develop a habit) was too short. I needed something substantial, and if it takes 30 days to renew the funds to pay all your bills, then 30 days was enough to change up my perspective.
There were three steps to my challenge, and I'll share them with y'all in hopes that you find it helpful:
Step One: Write Down What You're Grateful For (Everyday)
This first step is a cheesy one. It may be easy to come up with a list of things you're grateful for, but actually putting pen to paper makes it almost tangible.
Take a few minutes each day to actually write out 3-5 things you're grateful for. It can be something as profound as being grateful for your health, or something as simple as gratitude for strong coffee to get you through the day (I'm just saying!)
Step Two: Surround Yourself With What Inspires You
Personally, I love to read inspirational messages/quotes, so I buy
books, journals, T-shirts, pretty much anything I can find with a message
that speaks to me.
During the challenge, I even went as far as writing out quotes on sticky
notes and putting them on my bathroom and vanity mirrors so that I could
see them whenever I was getting ready.
P.S. This is the journal I use to write what I'm grateful for. I got it at
Wal-Mart for like $2!
Step Three: (And the Most Important) Stick to a Routine
As a teacher and a mom, I know that routine is what helps children thrive. They need to know what to expect because it creates structure in their day and makes them feel safe. Well, as it turns out, we never really grow out of that need. Adults need routines just as much, if not more, than kids!
There is so much that can happen unexpectedly throughout the day. Your kids could be in a crap mood, there could be traffic on your way to work, your boss could be standing right at the door as you walk in 10 minutes late (true story, btw). Creating a routine that works for you gives you a sense of control, and makes it easier to deal with the chaos of everyday life.
For me, I have to have alone time in the morning. I wake up extra early so that I can have coffee, read, write, pray, and most importantly, work out before I even wake my kids up. That quiet time in the early hours sets me up mentally and spiritually for the day and makes me a better version of myself. It's in everyone's benefit that I make sure it happens daily.
I blamed this looming dark cloud of a mood on several different things: work stress, the tiny humans I teach, the ones I brought into the world, lack of sleep, you name it. It didn't hit me until just before my 30th birthday (yep, I have revealed my age!) that maybe the problem wasn't in my circumstances, but rather in how I viewed them.
Picture this: It's a hot June day, I'm in my pajamas, drinking coffee on my couch, and I get a reminder from my phone calendar. It reads: Pack for Denver!!! Now, a normal, happy person would be overjoyed. Me? I was grumpy because it meant that I had to pack, buy groceries for my family to eat while I was away (because this was a Mami-only trip), do laundry, and clean up the house. Never mind the fact that I'd be in a new city with my brother for 4 days. All I saw was the To-Do List.
Enter my reality check. I figured that old saying about your perception being your reality had to have some kind of truth to it if everyone is always repeating it (although this could've backfired right along the lines of believing that people can't post anything that isn't true on the internet). I decided in that moment that I needed to change things up, but the question was how to go about it.
That's when I came up with my 30 Day Perspective Change Challenge (Ok I didn't really give it that super long name, but it felt necessary to title it now that I am putting it out there for the world.) Don't let the word, "Challenge," scare you off. I only called it that because it was something new, and I chose 30 days because 21 (the time that research says it takes to develop a habit) was too short. I needed something substantial, and if it takes 30 days to renew the funds to pay all your bills, then 30 days was enough to change up my perspective.
There were three steps to my challenge, and I'll share them with y'all in hopes that you find it helpful:
This first step is a cheesy one. It may be easy to come up with a list of things you're grateful for, but actually putting pen to paper makes it almost tangible.
Take a few minutes each day to actually write out 3-5 things you're grateful for. It can be something as profound as being grateful for your health, or something as simple as gratitude for strong coffee to get you through the day (I'm just saying!)
Step Two: Surround Yourself With What Inspires You
Personally, I love to read inspirational messages/quotes, so I buy
books, journals, T-shirts, pretty much anything I can find with a message
that speaks to me.
During the challenge, I even went as far as writing out quotes on sticky
notes and putting them on my bathroom and vanity mirrors so that I could
see them whenever I was getting ready.
P.S. This is the journal I use to write what I'm grateful for. I got it at
Wal-Mart for like $2!
Step Three: (And the Most Important) Stick to a Routine
There is so much that can happen unexpectedly throughout the day. Your kids could be in a crap mood, there could be traffic on your way to work, your boss could be standing right at the door as you walk in 10 minutes late (true story, btw). Creating a routine that works for you gives you a sense of control, and makes it easier to deal with the chaos of everyday life.
For me, I have to have alone time in the morning. I wake up extra early so that I can have coffee, read, write, pray, and most importantly, work out before I even wake my kids up. That quiet time in the early hours sets me up mentally and spiritually for the day and makes me a better version of myself. It's in everyone's benefit that I make sure it happens daily.
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