Perspective/Inspiration

Image by Alan Saporta

As a parent I can't imagine anything more heartbreaking or excruciating than seeing your own child injured or suffering ill health (apart from, heaven forbid, the child passing away). Unfortunately at this time and for the past half year I know a couple, dear friends of mine, whose young child has been gripped with a rare, debilitating disease. While the long-term prognosis is actually good it has been and will continue to be a burdensome, tortuous road to recovery.

In the meantime I have been a near helpless witness to their tireless tending to their sick child. Sure we folks around them have been visiting, providing food, comfort and a patient ear. But all anyone ultimately wants is for this child to get better. If there's anything positive I can wrench from this dismal situation it's the following 2 things:

Perspective - Being human I have my daily wishes, complaints and aches. It's tempting for all of us to focus on what we lack whether it be money, time or something about our current place in the world. But seeing these friends and thinking of others with similar struggles quickly melts away any of these "problems". It immediately brings any issues I'm currently dealing with into perspective. As they say "when you (and your loved ones) have your health you have everything". This is a concept I aim to impart to my mentees. Even something as traumatic and disheartening as a job loss can be overcome when you have your health.

Inspiration - The sheer force of nature these friends have demonstrated in caring for their sick child is breathtaking. One might say this is not surprising given it's their child. It is nevertheless inspiring to me to see any human muster this kind of energy, focus and determination under extreme stress and fatigue. It is a living example for me of how much we are all actually capable of doing especially while in the midst of a difficult situation. Then can you imagine what we each could do when we are faced with far less challenging situations? Can you visualize the achievements that await us when we are well rested and not under such negative stress?

I've written what turned out to be a very popular post about reframing before on this blog. A key to successfully reframing problems is to change your perspective which then sparks and inspires several paths to a solution. When working with my mentees I give them a number of tools to pivot their perspective. By sharing this story I'm sharing with you a tool that I use to:

1. push me forward when I'm tired
2. remind myself that I can accomplish more than I think
3. inspire me to discover the many paths towards a solution
4. feel unbelievably grateful for my health and the health of my loved ones.

I'll end with one of my favorite quotes on perspective:

“What we see depends mainly on what we look for.” - John Lubbock