I recently experienced a few significant incidences in my life. Some of them were pretty bad, while others were very good. This got me thinking about perception and how it can drastically alter our state of mind.
In just a few short weeks, my computer broke down, I got two new jobs, I was called in for jury duty, and a number of other incidents occurred. Looking back on these events, I thought to myself that I had been very lucky and that things have generally turned out well.
However, this made me wonder: is it just my positive thinking that’s causing me to feel this way? For this reason, I decided to perform a little test. I wanted to see if I could paint the last few weeks as an awful, terrible turn of events in my past. It was surprisingly easy to do.
The Worst Week Ever
First off, I was playing in the park with friends when it started to downpour. Naturally, I didn’t bring my waterproof shoes and my sneakers ended up getting soaked (not to mention the rest of my body and my backpack). When I got home, I remembered that I had brought my laptop out with me to the park in my bag. My bag was completely soaked through, but I hoped that by some miracle my computer would still work. However, when I checked the laptop, it was completely dead.
This meant that I had to go all the way back downtown to the computer store to see if they could fix it. The guy told me my only real hope was to send it over to the manufacturer for repairs, which would cost me about $700. I already have enough money issues to have to worry about, so I tried to find another repair center that could perform the same job for cheaper. Luckily, I was able to find one, but it was still going to cost me about $500.
This particular company allows you to also save on shipping costs by sending you the packing materials you will need free of charge. Unfortunately, doing so means waiting a little longer for the computer to be repaired. I wanted my computer to be fixed as soon as possible, so I was tempted to send it along right away, but I decided to try to save some money and go with the free shipping option.
Of course, after I finalize the purchase and the materials are on their way is when my computer decides to start working on me. Turns out, it was only the battery that was damaged and not the whole laptop. I contacted the repair company and told them, and they said I wouldn’t have to pay for the original $500 fee, but I would still have to pay for the materials they shipped to me. So I ended up having to pay for a bunch of shipping materials I didn’t even need.
On top of that, I was called into jury duty right after my employer allows me to start my new job early. And because I was selected to sit on a jury for a 3 day trial, I am going to miss valuable time I could have spent at the job. What could be worse?!
The Flip Side
Like I mentioned in my article Germs are Your Friend, it is worth it to consider altering your view of certain things. In the above story, I tell the horrible tale of my computer problems and jury duty. It’s very easy for people to take this type of mindset when bad things happen, causing them to see only the lowest points of their lives.
However, just because bad things happen to you, doesn’t mean you have a terrible life. After all, bad things happen to everyone. You aren’t the only one. And yet, amid all of these terrible life events, there are always high points you can focus on.
That being said, let’s take a look at what my original mindset was when I looked back on the past weeks.
The Best Week Ever
I was lucky enough to have the day free so that I could go to the park with my friends and hang out. It was a lot of fun; however, it started to rain, so we had to pack up early. Even though we were drenched, we were still joking around, so the rain didn’t really kill the fun. If fact, it was just the refreshment we needed on such a hot day.
Unfortunately, I forgot I had my laptop in my backpack and when I got home, it wasn’t working. I went over to the computer store and the guy there told me that they could take care of it for me, but it would be expensive. He suggested that I look for some other computer repair places where I could get the same work done for cheaper. I took his advice and ended up finding a store that would fix my laptop for about $200 cheaper, plus free shipping! It meant that I had to wait for the box to come in the mail, but at least I didn’t have to pay the higher price.
And if that wasn’t good news enough, the next day my computer started working again! It turns out that it was just the battery that had died. I told the repair store and they were very understanding. They canceled my order right away. I still had to pay for the shipping materials, but it was pennies compared to what I would have had to spend otherwise.
I also found out around the same time that I would be able to start my summer job earlier than expected, which was great news because I needed the money. Unfortunately, I also knew that I had jury duty right around the same time. The case I was put on was predicted to last about a week, but this meant that I’d only have to work from 9-1pm for the rest of the week instead of 8-4pm. Plus, the courthouse is very close to where I live, compared to my job, which means I can sleep in longer than I am usually able…
Change of Perspective
You get the idea. In the first scenario, it seemed as if everything was just going wrong and I just couldn’t catch a break. However, in reality I caught quite a few good breaks.
I think the vast difference in the tone of the stories really illustrates the age-old piece of advice, “look on the bright side.” Had I moped around and complained about how bad my life was, I probably wouldn’t be able to function at my best. I would be irritable and cranky, and I would probably end up making things worse for myself. Instead, I tried to be optimistic, even when bad things were happening, and everything ended up working out just fine.
So far, my positive thinking has never steered me wrong, and I don’t expect it ever will. For this reason, I encourage you to try positive thinking as well. It could make all the difference for you.
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