My 10 year old daughter made a comment a while ago which stayed with me. We were driving in the car and our discussion involved the way that people see things differently. As we drove, the talking faded away, and she was quiet. I figured the conversation was over, but a moment later she said, “Mommy, it’s just like a string.”
Trying to follow her train of thought, I asked, “What’s like a string?’
“The way people look at things,” she said. “It’s like a string. Some people pick up a piece of string and see only string. They think it’s worthless. But, other people pick up the string and see something else. They see something useful that can tie things together, or that they can make something with. They use their imagination or tie it around their finger to remind them about something they have to do.”
I visualized that image while she finished her thought. “Some people see a string as being nothing, but other people see the same string as being something,” she concluded.
The discussion stayed with me because she was absolutely right. Our perception of the same event, or the same conversation, or the same moment varies from person to person. One person interprets it one way and someone else sees the same thing so differently. However, the way you perceive it is exactly what contributes to the outcome!
My daughter’s observation was particularly interesting to me because it reflects the message I share with my clients at my Clinton, NY personal training studio, Studio 8 Fitness, as well as through my life coaching program, Finding My Way Back to Me. When I am presenting or working with clients, I am often asked how to maintain a positive mindset in life. My answer is that you need to make a practice out of doing exactly what my daughter suggests – realizing that EVERYTHING can be seen in another way.
It is easy to complain. It is easy to find something wrong with just about everything and everyone around you. The more we engage in that negative thinking, the less we accomplish and the less content we become. If clients come to Studio 8 Fitness to workout and decide that they can’t do something, or it’s too hard, it is my job as their personal trainer, to help them see other possibilities. I know that they will accomplish more if they believe they can!
A positive mindset conjures peace, contentment and a sense of flow in life. It encourages productivity, inspires creativity and promotes harmony. Besides that, a positive mindset feels good! In my life coaching program, Finding My Way Back to Me, I lead my clients through several exercises that allow them to find a more creative, productive and harmonious mindset. The result is that they feel better!
There are numerous opportunities to see our glass as being half full instead of half empty. For every struggle, there is a lesson to be learned. For every trial, there are successes to be won. For every moment of sadness, there are hours of happiness to follow.
I hope you will consider this as you move through your days. Practice seeing something differently than what appears before you. A small shift in the way you think will change everything, and you might be surprised by what that change in mindset will do for your life!
Kelli O’Brien Corasanti is the owner of Studio 8 Fitness – a personal training and life transformation studio located in Clinton, New York. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Education and certifications in Personal Training and Youth Fitness Training. She is the author of Kelli’s Quips: Happy Thoughts for Busy People and Finding My Way Back to Me: A Journey of Self-Discovery. She is the recipient of the Accent on Excellence Award for her work throughout the community, and is currently a Platinum Level Coach for the Todd Durkin Mastermind Group. For more information, go to www.studio8fitness.com or www.findingmywaybacktome.com.