5 (Easy) Practices That Jumpstart Your Spiritual Self
"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." — Wayne Dyer
That quote has been a driving force for me since the day I heard Wayne Dyer discuss how changing his perspective on his relationship with his father changed his life in a dramatic way. It was a remarkable story that taught how powerful forgiveness can be.
As a daily practice, I've decided to take a rather lighthearted approach to changing the way I look at things. Imagine shifting your perspective by looking at a situation from a totally different physical perspective. Is there a hill where you live that you can walk up for a more expansive view of the surrounding area? Can you drive to an overlook and see a vista stretching before you, where you can begin to see a bigger picture?
I hadn't given any thought to climbing trees in, oh, maybe 45 years, or so, when I saw this amazing tree with limbs shooting out in all directions, many of them low to the ground, one day while on an urban hike in John McLaren Park in San Francisco. I flashed back to the days of my youth, when I could often be found up in the branches of the large oaks that grew to the side of our house. My brother and I used to challenge each other to go out on a limb quite far, and then gently push down on the branch with our feet, shaking the limb up and down. I placed my foot on a branch and reached overhead for another branch to hoist me upward. Repeating the process—placing my foot, reaching overhead, hoisting upward—I climbed. I didn't get too high in the tree, maybe 10 to 15 feet up. What an interesting perspective to view the park from this vantage point! I realized I could apply the insight I gained to other areas of my life. Here I was now, decades later, recalling the lessons of going out on a limb and getting perspective from a different point of view.
That quote has been a driving force for me since the day I heard Wayne Dyer discuss how changing his perspective on his relationship with his father changed his life in a dramatic way. It was a remarkable story that taught how powerful forgiveness can be.
As a daily practice, I've decided to take a rather lighthearted approach to changing the way I look at things. Imagine shifting your perspective by looking at a situation from a totally different physical perspective. Is there a hill where you live that you can walk up for a more expansive view of the surrounding area? Can you drive to an overlook and see a vista stretching before you, where you can begin to see a bigger picture?
I hadn't given any thought to climbing trees in, oh, maybe 45 years, or so, when I saw this amazing tree with limbs shooting out in all directions, many of them low to the ground, one day while on an urban hike in John McLaren Park in San Francisco. I flashed back to the days of my youth, when I could often be found up in the branches of the large oaks that grew to the side of our house. My brother and I used to challenge each other to go out on a limb quite far, and then gently push down on the branch with our feet, shaking the limb up and down. I placed my foot on a branch and reached overhead for another branch to hoist me upward. Repeating the process—placing my foot, reaching overhead, hoisting upward—I climbed. I didn't get too high in the tree, maybe 10 to 15 feet up. What an interesting perspective to view the park from this vantage point! I realized I could apply the insight I gained to other areas of my life. Here I was now, decades later, recalling the lessons of going out on a limb and getting perspective from a different point of view.
This adapted excerpt is from Imagine the Life You Want to Live, Then Live It: 52 Inspired Habits and Playful Prompts.
