Perspective Hacking

This past weekend I finished perhaps the most impactful book I have ever read, If This Is A Man and Truce by Primo Levi. The story is Primo’s first-hand account of his year in Auschwitz, and his long journey back to Italy. Giving a synopsis of the book is impossible. The story is too horrific, real, raw, and powerful to sum up into a few sentences.

It has been called the most important book of the 20th century. Based on our current existence, I believe it is even more important this century. The pure hatred and disregard for human life that is possible, entire countries becoming swept up into a movement that is evil, systems of oppression, and what a person is capable of surviving are all massively important takeaways from this book. But in this moment the most important takeaway for me is perspective.

Many who have endured hardships and those who have gone through the most challenging of circumstances often cite a change in perspective as a positive they have gained from their suffering.

What does a change in perspective look like? Generally, it is a new appreciation for the little things in life. It is a new appreciation for relationships. It is a new appreciation for the fragility of life and the impermanence of our existence.

Focusing on gratitude has become increasingly popular. You can’t go into a gift shop without seeing a gratitude statement written on reclaimed wood. Nearly every self help author credits gratitude as a necessary ingredient in happiness. And I agree, focusing on gratitude has profoundly impacted my life. But gratitude isn’t always easy.

Despite living, arguably, in the best time ever and having more ‘things’ and access to more experiences than ever before, many of us focus on what we don’t have rather than what we do. We are constantly bombarded with new shiny things we “need” and we are in a subconscious consumption race to have the coolest stuff and do the coolest things.

All of this makes truly experiencing the emotional charge of gratitude difficult. For years, I have been writing down 3–5 things I am grateful for every morning. Until recently, much of it has felt forced. I am convinced it was still beneficial. But now I know it was missing a key ingredient. Perspective.

Perspective is rocket fuel for gratitude. Those of us who have gone through major life events have had this truth forced on us. When we lose a love one or nearly lose a child or come close to death ourselves gratitude is amplified in our lives. We truly feel the emotional charge of gratitude. When this happens something else that’s beautiful happens as well. That underlying consumptive itch for more, more, more, subsides. We become blissfully content with what we have.

The truest state of happiness I know of is living in a state of acknowledged abundance.

But can we experience this state of supercharged gratitude without the pain of loss? The answer is yes. I’m going to call it perspective hacking.

Stoics have been perspective hacking for thousands of years. One of the core practices of Stoicism is called negative visualization. This is where you meditate on all the things that could go wrong in your life. Visualize losing a loved one, losing a job, going bankrupt, getting a divorce, becoming ill, or that you have one week to live. While meditating on these, tap deeply into the emotions that arise. Feel those emotions. After you have done this, experiencing gratitude becomes significantly easier.

As Primo Levi narrated through the hell he experienced in Auschwitz, the inconveniences in my life seemed absurdly trivial and my gratitude for what I have was amplified. Tapping into the unending supply of suffering that millions around the world have endured and endure daily is another form of perspective hacking.

To prevent sustained depression, keep this practice controlled and immediately follow it up with a conscious gratitude exercise (such as journaling on gratitude or meditating on gratitude).

This practice can be used two ways. You can use it proactively as an antidote and reactively as a remedy. Above I have outlined a couple of proactive practices of negative visualization and tapping into suffering. Reactively you can simply ask yourself, “Could this be worse?” The answer is almost always yes. Visualize what worse looks like. Feel it. Feel the perspective shift. Breathe in. Breathe out. Power through the adversity.


Adopting the practice of perspective hacking doesn’t make challenges and suffering in your life easy. You don’t become invincible to the pangs of life. But it does make the highs higher and the lows not so low.

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