Perspective
Photography by Danielle Ann Rose @bydanielleannrose
Today is my 28th birthday, and for the first time in my life, I am very aware of the number. I’m aware of it because the past few years have made me feel a little bit lost and unsure of things. In the past my age has never mattered because I felt on purpose and in alignment, I was on the right track to where I thought I wanted to be and even if things weren’t always going my way, I trusted that they would. Today I don’t know how to feel, I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing, feeling, experiencing, or choosing, I simply don’t know and honestly, that’s a little scary
If a friend of mine came to me feeling this way I’d probably see it from a greater perspective and give supportive advice about how it’s actually exciting to have such a fresh start and to think of all the beautiful opportunities and possibilities that are yet to come, but from inside my own heart, body and mind, I’m just thinking what the actual fuckkkk?!
I know I should shift my perspective, I know I have the potential to turn things around and I know I can choose something different at any moment, but up until now there’s been something in my mind telling me to stay in the chaos, and I’m not sure if it’s self-sabotage or my higher self knowing there’s lessons to be learnt here
There’s a past version of myself that I am so genuinely proud of, the version of me who decided depression sucks and started pursuing self-development, the shift of mindset and new perspectives that version of me found is inspiring and I really want to find that strength again now, and what better moment than my birthday. A fresh new year to recreate myself, to follow new passions, to discover more layers of who I am and what I’m here living this life to do
It’s difficult to think that I know even more about myself and self-development than I did as that past version of myself, but somewhere along the way I neglected that pursuit of betterment and allowed myself to slip back into ineffective patterns, mindset and language
It’s frustrating to know I have the potential for more and feel myself not choosing it, so today’s the day I break that pattern and put my future first. I want to feel at peace again, I want to be proud of myself and know that I am doing everything in my power to create a beautiful life for myself, and growing as a person every day
The first step to shaking this bad vibe is a shift in perspective and here’s how I’ll be going about it
Realising that my mindset and thought processes are actually keeping me stuck playing out these old and outgrown patterns of behaviour that are definitely not serving me
Practising the habit of seeing things from an outside view so that I can understand situations and myself clearer, detaching from the stories my mind is making up and looking at things from a more logical and rational standpoint
Letting things be what they are, rather than trying to label them as a good or bad experience, because honestly, I don’t know what will unfold in the future because of these situations and trying to put them into a box of “good” or “bad” is emotionally exhausting and a waste of energy
Reminding myself that my emotions are not part of my identity, and they don’t define me in any way because emotions are a part of the human experience and everyone has them, it’s how we choose to express them and what we make them mean that impacts us
It’s healing to find newness, experience better circumstances and feel yourself release the past and move on, I cannot change the way things have unfolded in the past but I can choose to let them go and move forward with my life
Overthinking and making up stories in my mind can keep me stuck reliving the past over and over again, but when I try to look at things from an outside perspective I can see things a lot clearer. It’s easy to catastrophize and think the worst but it’s healthier to push through that pattern and choose peace instead, knowing everything will work out as it’s supposed to
The thoughts we think and the words we speak impact the way we view and experience the world, so being mindful of them can ultimately change our entire lives. When we choose to shift our perspective we get to see things in a new light, from a new angle and gain a clearer understanding of ourselves and the world around us
We are the creators of our reality
It’s time I remember that
