“When you change the way you look at things the things you look at change.”  These words that resonated so strongly within me were uttered by the late Wayne Dyer during a PBS special.  I instantly had a Eureka moment, and at my core I knew I had to re-frame my perception of situations that were present in my life, and redefine the meaning I’d attached to them.

Instead of looking at the glass as half empty, dwelling on negativity or getting depressed, why not set the intention to look at things differently.   What if these unwelcome events that unravel our perfectly structured lives with effortless precision, are just things working together for our good?  Sometimes in the fog of angst, distress, worry, and fear, our good may appear to be temporarily eclipsed.

In hindsight you’ll look back and realize that the job termination which devastated you was really a stepping stone to a better opportunity; or, ending a long-term relationship was timely because it no longer served you, and the severing of ties allowed your inner strength and resilience to emerge.

 No one is exempt from set-backs in life.  Individual response will vary with each situation and so will outcomes.  Persistency, determination and focus, are key to bouncing back.   Success is not always linear and challenges, disappointments and failures are all part of the course.    It’s widely known that Michael Jordan was once cut from his basketball team in high school;   As an inventor, Thomas Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts before he succeeded at inventing the light bulb; Beethoven was deaf when he wrote five of his greatest symphonies; Walt Disney was fired for not having good ideas and lacked imagination; JK Rowling (Harry Potter author) was a single parent on welfare struggling to raise her kid.

Remember, the journey is not the destination and you can always rebound from a setback.   “When you change the way you look at things the things you look at change.”