A few days ago I was listening to another TED lecture by Rory Sutherland, entitled ‘

Perspective is everything’

. That alone was a mantra in itself, but I wanted to rephrase those words to ask you the question:

How you do ‘frame’ your life, and therefore how do you perceive what you do?

It’s interesting to compare those who have a very positive outlook to those who have a negative take on things. Often you’ll find it’s simply their outlook that changes and not the events surrounding the situation itself.

I catch myself doing this often, it’s so easy to be self-critical in order to grow and improve but it’s very easy to forget all those things we are actually good at. We paint ourselves a negative picture with a security blanket against failure, often with the mindset than ‘anything more is a bonus’. Catch yourself when this happens and re-frame it. Remind yourself that things aren’t what they are, they are simply what we think they are. Frame those aspects of your life in a positive light and they will indeed bring positive rewards and happiness.

Most moments in life can be viewed in a positive way. Even dire circumstances have something to teach us, you simply need to dig a little deeper to find and understand it. That switch in perspective opens doors and offers a sense of control. The circumstances of our lives may actually mater less to our happiness than the sense of control we have over our lives.

Silent Sunday no. 21: After my first ever visit to Whole Foods Market in London, I just had to post this picture of shelves piled high with veggies!