Perspective

I began the day today feeling sorry for myself.  Finding the perfect job has continued to be an elusive process. Our once healthy finances have contracted a disease called “unemployment-itis” and jobs that seemed like sure things have become much less of a certainty.

After a phone interview led both me and the kind interviewer to the realization that the position wasn’t a good fit for me, I felt defeated.  I went to pick up my daughter from school trying my hardest to keep a positive attitude about my situation.

While on the way to a friend’s house after pick up, we witnessed something we don’t see every day. A bus filled with children sideswiped a car while turning onto a busy intersection. Luckily, it appeared no one was hurt however, the bus driver looked distraught and the two men in the car looked angry. It suddenly hit me how much worse things could be. 

Perspective changer number 1: Someone is almost always having a worse day than you.

After leaving my friend’s house, H. told me that she had learned “a cool new song” at school today. Once a week a musician comes in to her class and typically sings children’s songs and tells the kids stories. H. launched into an off-key but still completely recognizable version of “Don’t Worry Be Happy.”

Perspective changer number 2.  Children and music are the ultimate mood lifters. Go ahead and try to listen to a reggae song and not be at least a tiny bit happier after you’ve done so.  Even one as goofy as Bobby McFerrin's biggest hit.

When I arrived home, I checked my email inbox. As background, I reached out to a contact through a friend last week. This person is a published author and works in public relations and he had asked me for a few writing samples which I sent to him and promptly forgot about them. There was an email from him this evening stating that my writing was “terrific” and that he was happy to meet with me next week.

Perspective changer number 3: Sometimes all it takes is a kernal of external positive feedback to help build your confidence back up when you’ve been knocked down by one too many of life’s curveballs.