Perspective! Perspective! Perspective! Hard Can Be Easy

Recently, I embarked on a 10-day journey that would take me into rather deep levels of soul searching while visiting the Catskills in upstate New York. Anyone who knows me has full realization that I am not much of a snowy-mountain girl, but rather a sun & beach lover. Hence, a bit of physical and psychological adjustment was in order.

Upon my destination I received an email from my supportive partner sending me wishes to find myself or lose myself – whatever it was that I was looking to do. Not only did this strike me as quite comical, but it also made me realize that maybe he was on to something. Life really is all about perspective, isn’t it?

One morning as I was exploring my new territory and trekking in a calf-high winter wonderland, I found myself seeking spots on the ground that had seemingly less snow only to discover that the softer slushiness was actually more difficult to wade thru than the frozen, packed snow. Two interesting points of view came to mind—things are not what they seem and hard can be easy.

As I continued with my journey, instead of stepping into the footprints others had made to make my steps easier, I decided to branch out a bit and make my own path. With this came the simple actions of trusting myself and following my heart.

On a separate morning, my attraction for water was drawing me to follow the path around a vibrant river that seemed to live everywhere. The word babbling, usually referred to as nonsense, certainly did not hold true for this waterway. It had something important to say; it was noisy and alive and wanted the world to know it. Merely crossing over a foot bridge offered a diverse sound and panorama. Looking at the same things from different angles is like peering through a separate pair of lenses. Perhaps if we take this approach of varied viewpoints when dealing with other people, we can learn to be more empathetic, compassionate and understanding.

Continuing, I noticed that the clean and crisp air was much colder than I was accustomed to, resulting in some shallowness of breath. At that moment it came to me that I could either let the cold restrict me and my breathing or I could give myself to the perfection of nature and let its beauty take my breath away. By letting go, I was rewarded with feelings of nourishment and abundance. There was a certain oneness with my environment. This game with perspective was becoming fun.

For most folks, the mere sound of abundance usually invokes feelings of wealth and prosperity. By definition, the Latin word, ab means from and the Latin word unda means wave. Therefore, the literal meaning of the word abundance is overflowing waves. Another definition, and one that I find to be very powerful, is a fullness of spirit that overflows. Interestingly, neither meaning correlates to a monetary state. Abundance is really multi-dimensional and like most things in life is based on pure perspective.

With the economic uncertainty that we are being faced with on a daily basis, it is important for us to remember that abundance stems from love, trust and positive perspectives. By tapping into our inner source, we can create our own reality based on our individual thoughts and beliefs. We can choose to feel prosperous and not allow fear, lack and limitation to creep in.

Rather than giving in to feelings of despair, resistance and frustration, remember that everything comes at the perfect time in the perfect way. Focus on the positives in your life and affirm your gratitude for all the joyful things. Thinking with positive intention raises your vibration which helps to produce more loving thoughts.

Open your heart— trust in yourself and the universe. Let go and surrender to your higher good. Learn to give and receive freely. It is a law of the universe that to get something you need to give something. As Mark Twain once said “If you want love and abundance in your life, give it away.”