Perspectives

I change my outfits.

I change my plans on what to cook for supper. (Or did I even have plans?)

I change my routine, my lesson plans, and my dietary preferences. Quite often it seems at times…

I change my mind.

Why is that so hard? Let me explain:  How many beliefs, thoughts, opinions, and perspectives do I have that no longer work? Perhaps, they are no longer true? It seems so easy to get rid of them or change them. But for me, and I dare say, others out there too, those changes are such a struggle.

I’ve heard people say we can change our thought processes, but it never really clicked with me until recently. Apparently, that’s a lesson I am supposed to be learning right now, because I have since had several opportunities to practice this. Someone who I had been friends with many years ago, contacted me a few weeks ago out of the blue. My first thought was why is she contacting me? Why did she send that message? All of a sudden, I “heard” CHANGE your belief, Lori. Oh! She contacted me to say hello. She was thinking about me on this particular day. Can I just tell you how freeing that was for me? To begin, I wasn’t creating negative energy for myself or for the world around me. Second, I was coming from a place of loving- kindness and acceptance for myself and for her. It affected the rest of my day for the better!

Do you realize we CAN CHANGE our minds? Our thoughts? Our beliefs? There are many days I struggle with negative beliefs about myself. I’m not a good enough mom. I’m not a good enough educator…. I’m not good enough to share my thoughts in a magazine… The list goes on.

Someone asked me one day, “Lori, what if, just WHAT IF, all those beliefs about you are wrong?” Hmmm… Well I would be a pretty cool person!

What if I CHANGE my beliefs? I have had such a good morning with my children. I planned an awesome lesson for my students. I am going to finish this degree one day. Hey, even though it scares me, I’m going to write down my thoughts and put my real self out there, and who knows, someone just might connect with what I share in that magazine? Change in perspective. Change in where I place value. Change in what I choose to believe.

Last year on a camping trip, a dear friend spoke some of the best words of wisdom. We were all rock climbing and someone said, “I can’t climb that rock.” My friend looked over and quietly said, “You can’t climb that rock YET.” CHANGE in perspective.

I started implementing that little word and experienced a CHANGE in my thoughts. “I can’t run 10 miles.” “I can’t run 10 miles yet.” Try it one day. Instead of, “He hasn’t called me back.” Try, “He hasn’t called me back, YET.” It seems so simple, but the mindset is quite different. That one little word offers an opportunity for more loving- kindness for yourself and others.

Change. One thought, one belief, one perspective, at a time.

– Lori Jamieson

Lori lives in Florence. She is married to Drew and has 3 daughters. She teaches English as a Second Language to college international students. She is passionate about  spending time with people from all over the world, travel, desire to educate women in other countries and  learning from them as well. She enjoys nature, hiking, camping- the mountains. Runner.