Full transparency; I have never been a person that looked at my glass as half full. If I could critique it, complain about it, or wish for more – I would. However, when my daily life changed, my perspective shifted.
For the past year, I have worked for the Division of Child & Family Services (DCFS) as a Child Protection Services (CPS) investigator. Each day I would receive a report of child abuse/neglect on my desk and it was my job to investigate the report. The families I worked with had a plethora of problems from drug use, alcoholism, domestic violence, homelessness, etc. When I began working with these families, I thought I had experienced my fair share of problems, but I was wrong. I realized that my life wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t the most terrible. When I started to see the very real issues that many faced daily, my perspective shifted and I started to see my blessings and having gratitude.
Once this happened, I began noticing changes in my life. I was not as easily irritable because I was grateful for my spouse and children. I was grateful for what I had, but more came to me easily. Overall, I was much happier. I know some may respond with, “Just because someone else has it worse doesn’t negate my own hardships.” And I am not saying that it does. What I am saying is that it makes it easier to shift your perspective and create a more positive outlook when you look at the larger picture – and with that comes the power of positivity. We “law of attract” positive experiences/gifts/love when we focus on the positive and are grateful for what we have. Practice shifting your focus from the deficits in your life to the blessings in your life and watch your life expand in ways you never thought possible.