Things you didn’t know would change your outlook on life
Talking to strangers
All of our parents warned us about stranger danger, accepting candy from people you don’t know, or getting in a vehicle with someone random. However, if you use Lyft or Uber, congratulations, you have completely disregarded everything your parents have taught you. As people, it is human nature for us to gravitate towards people who look like us or have similar interests. We often meet these people in controlled settings like through family, work, school, but everyone on this planet has a story. Aside from people watching, one of my favorite things to do is to start conversations with people I don’t know and have never met. The conversation usually starts with a shared laugh or I recognize that me and that person share some sort of connection. Sometimes the conversation only lasts a few minutes or can turn into hours, but everyone has a story. People want to tell their story and talk about themselves and the things they love. They want to share what they are interested in and what they are passionate about. No one’s background or experience is the exact same and spending time talking to a stranger could possibly make your perception of life do a complete 180 based merely off of the words of a stranger.
Listening
Do you listen for understanding or do you listen to reply? One of the best ways to obtain knowledge, understanding, and perspective is to listen. Stories, language, mail, at some point in time, were all passed down from person to person by word of mouth. Truly listening takes more than just hearing the words but understanding them, grasping them, deeply processing what the other person is trying to say to you. If you are really listening, their words have the power to change you in some way. By listening, you can begin to understand that other person’s perspective or gain clarity to your own position. Listening to people’s struggles and triumphs can either change or aid you in your plan for life, give you the encouragement you need or offer some advice that just hits all the right notes. But most importantly, listen to yourself. Listen to your breathing, your intuition, your feelings. When you spend more time listening to yourself, just like listening to others, you will gain a better understanding of yourself. You will get better at knowing what you want and what you don’t want, when and why you want something. You can find the difference between what you want but what your soul really needs. Then, your perspective on life will always continue to change, shift, mold into something you could have never imagined.
Failing
There is nothing like a major L to get you really thinking about life. I know what it feels like to fail, fail hard to the point where your whole plan and course for life is going down a road with no street signs, lights, or mile markers. Failure has such a negative connotation, no one wants to be rejected and no one wants to fail. However, failure is a necessary part of life and has great implication to changing your outlook. Failure helps develop resilience and aid in determining if something is the right fit for you. Sometimes failure is quick and temporary, or it’s drawn out and repetitive, but you will always remember the failures because they mold your experiences and have a significant impact on who you are today. You might not have the job you have now if you didn’t fail three college math classes and pursue your true passion, art. You may not have found the love of your life if you didn’t get rejected by that asshole at the bar. Face challenges head on, don’t be afraid to fail because you never know how that failure will impact your life.
Bad Relationships
I feel that everyone knows that a bad breakup can change your perspective on life. Hell, they’ve made over 500 rom coms about the shit. But what you probably didn’t know is that a bad relationship, even in its most platonic form, can change your attitude on life. Everyone wants friends but no one ever prepares you for the inevitable, bad friendships. Bad friendships can be obvious, like a friend who steals your clothes and jewelry, or subtle, like a friend who always has a negative comment to make when you share your successes. With friendships, there is the good, bad, ugly, and toxic. But no matter how much you try, bad friendships are going to happen merely because life continues to go on, people change, you change, ya’ll grow apart, set different goals. I encourage you to not look at bad relationships as “what did I do wrong or is there something wrong with me?” Everyone can’t have a page in your story book and not everyone is going to be able to stick around for the ride. However, most important is that you learn and develop healthy future relationships based on what you experienced in that bad relationship. Always be grateful for the good times, the lessons learned from the bad times, and make changes for a betr life ahead.
