My friend, Warren, lives on a small piece of limestone and coral about six hundred miles southeast of Puerto Rico and just beyond the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea.
Recently, I suggested that maybe we could meet halfway and hang out in Miami for the weekend… but then I remembered that he doesn’t like the cold that much!
Yes, depending on where you live, Miami could be toasty warm or just a wee bit chilly… it all depends on your point of view.
For example, the current weather outside my window right now is listed as “Fair”… yes, fair… temperature is 7 degrees, with a wind chill of -1.
And just in case you’re not familiar with the concept of wind chill, here’s the rule of thumb… when headed outside, cover anything that you don’t want to fall off.
Yes, different points of view… indeed!
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My dad has a saying for these situations, which sounds something like, “Well, my boy… it all depends on how you look at it.”
Oh, the number of times I heard those words while growing up… and how many times I’ve probably said them since!
It kinda goes hand in hand with other remnants of ancient wisdom like, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” or, “With this much manure… there’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!”
But alas… I digress.
Obviously, the gist is that our attitude positively or negatively colors our perception of our circumstances. At the same time, it’s our job to make sure that our circumstances don’t unreasonably affect our attitudes!
It’s a circular reference and, of course, that’s the real challenge.
Yes, it is all in how we look at it.
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I remember reading once that virtually every life-altering invention is simply a remedy to an otherwise difficult, troubling, or annoying process or circumstance.
To be sure, great advances in technology, business, and medicine are often preceded by a set of events that simply cry out for innovation.
But here’s the thing.
While everyone can see it… and everybody feels it… there are always just a handful who view the situation as an opportunity to act… to make a difference… to leave a legacy.
And as they proclaim, “There’s got to be a better way,” one thing is certain… there’s a relatively good chance that they’re going to find it.
And the difference? Just the point of view… and a willingness to act. I look forward to speaking with you soon.
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