Do you remember a time when you feared doing something, or worried about a certain outcome and found out later that the situation was a blessing in disguise? All that fear and worry was for nothing.

You can transform how you see your life by training your mind to think right; to not jump in and think the worst. You can see the situations and people that come into your life as golden opportunities to bring out the best in you. Holding faith that there is always some good in everything will make you a happier person.

Transform how you see your life in these three ways:

1… See a situation objectively

Situations are what they are. It’s how you respond to them that matters. And how you respond depends on how you assess the situation. If a situation is difficult to solve or if it doesn’t align with what you want, you usually judge it as a ‘problem’.

If you can look at a situation objectively without viewing it through the lens of your personal likes and dislikes, you will be less likely to react emotionally. When your emotions take control of your better judgement, you make mistakes that you will regret later.

To remain objective, raise you point of view. Put aside your personal concerns and insistence on a particular outcome. Look at the situation from all sides, understand the overall context, what are the facts, who is involved, and what would be a win-win for all concerned.

This kind of holistic thinking elevates your mind and takes you out of your selfish concerns. It gives you the balance and clarity you need to handle situations successfully with benefits for all in the long run.

When you transform how you see your life and situations in this way, you will strengthen your mind and train it to come up with creative solutions for different situations.

2… Think from the standpoint of your role and duty

We all play multiple roles in our lives such as parent, husband, wife, partner, employer, employee, son, daughter, friend, or community member.

Duties come to us unasked based on our role in life. For instance, as a parent, it is your responsibility that you take care of your children’s safety and wellbeing. As a member of the community, you must do your part in abiding by the rules so your community will be a safe, clean, and good place for all to live in. And so, you wouldn’t drop your litter on the road or park your car on the pedestrian walkway.

Some duties can be challenging. For instance, as a son or daughter, you and your siblings have the responsibility of taking care of your elderly parents. If it turns out that you are the only one who is left with most of this responsibility, take it as a privilege and blessing without blaming or complaining. Then, it won’t agitate your mind or make you feel like a victim.

Know that doing your duties strengthen you and advance your inner growth. Have faith that the kind and loving universe is in control and will bring you only that which is for your highest and best good.

What is for your highest good may be very difficult, but the universe is not concerned about outer discomfort or suffering. It is only concerned about your spiritual evolution. Short term pain will earn you karmic merits and result in your inner growth and happiness in the long-term.

3… Expect joys AND sorrows in life

Life is made up of both joys and sorrows. It’s not realistic to expect only joy. We must learn to expect and accept them both knowing that neither of them last.

stones balancing on a rock representing staying calm through joys and sorrows when you transform how you see your life.jpgThe bad news is that nothing lasts forever. The good news is nothing lasts forever. The key is to stay balanced through them all.

The mind is the medium through which we interpret and transact with the outer world. And, the mind is nothing but a flow of thoughts.

When something comes into your life that is in alignment with your personal likes, thoughts of joy arise in your mind. When something is not what you like or want, thoughts of sorrow rise in your mind.

This happens because of subconscious impressions from previous experiences and our innate desire for happiness.

Thoughts don’t have any consciousness of their own. They rise as waves in the mind brought to life by your awareness. Without your conscious attention, thoughts will die away on their own. They cannot and do not last.

Knowing these facts, you can conclude that you yourself empower your thoughts. Joy and sorrow are how you interpret them to be.

You can transform how you see your life if you remind yourself that nothing lasts, including your joys and sorrows. They will come and go on their own.

Instead, detach from your thoughts and avoid acting on every passing thought that rises in your mind. If you remain objective and balanced when encountering what you consider to be a joyful or a sorrowful experience, you will be happy regardless of what happens in the outer world.

Best way to meet life

Transform how you see your life by learning how to think about life.

The way to ensure this is to elevate your thinking and steer yourself away from your personal likes and dislikes. This will give you the clarity you need to remain objective and emotionally balanced when meeting various situations, doing your duties, and going through the joys and sorrows of life.

*This post was inspired by lessons in the Bhagavad Gita course offered by the Chinmaya International Foundation.

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Manisha Melwani

Manisha Melwani is a teacher and the author of, "Your Spiritual Journey" She offers spiritual and wellness solutions for life and stress management. She teaches classes in personal growth, stress management and meditation. Contact her for more information or to have her speak to your group or organization. She also offers private counseling sessions on-line.
Manisha Melwani

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