Stretching

Sit back and relax and before we get started, we’re going to stretch a little. Your brain that is, not your body.

Think of the most incredible thing in your life that should be very unbelievable, but that you know to be true. Now, think about why you have been willing to overcome it’s “unbelievable-ness” – even if that is very personal – again I’m speaking about something just in your life, that perhaps you have only in your heart. (there’s no need to share it with anyone)

Got it ?

Now, with that reason that you overcame incredulity in your own head, imagine trying to explain it to another person – one not connected with the details, so that to them, it would also seem unbelievable. Construct a sentence in your own head as to how you might convince them to open their minds and embrace the possibility of this thing, this idea you’ve shared. What would you say to have someone open their mind to your idea ?

Are you done..? Take a moment if you're not.

Great. Now repeat that sentence to yourself, for yourself – the one you’ve just constructed, and ask yourself to try to apply it to what you see around you, what you hear and how you’ve elected to experience the people, places and time you are in.

What I’m hoping you’ve just done is grant yourself a moment where your own perspective changes about what’s around you, and how you exist. Problems that seem immovable now seem solvable with your magic wand of new perspective. Opportunities that you may have felt were outside your grasp may now seem like they may be within reach after-all. And other’s opinions that you have felt strongly about may merit a second look.

We didn’t do anything magic here, we simply elected to move away from our comfort zone a little and engage a muscle you already had – the ability to see things from another angle.

I don’t know about you, but I find that I often forget to use this muscle frequently enough, and as a result it can get weaker. Whenever I do re-engage it, it’s like listening to a favorite song from long ago – it just feels good.

In hindsight, that was easy wasn’t it - I bet you didn’t even break a sweat.