Texans say when life hands a person a series of unfortunate events that the person is "snake bit." That's what my family has told me for the past five years. I also frequently hear, "If it weren't for bad luck, you'd have none at all." For a long time, it was hard for me to be positive about my life with so many comments about my lack of luck. Every time something challenging happened in my life, I noticed my lack of luck. I bought my family's view that I had no luck, hook line and sinker. This belief caused me to have feelings of despair and hopelessness. At times I felt desperate to rid myself of all this bad luck.
One day, as I traveled home to let my dog, Sully, out, I narrowly missed being in a horrible accident. At that moment, it occurred to me that I might actually be very lucky. I started paying attention to all the near misses I experienced. It was incredible how many times I missed something horrible. My idea about my luck started to shift. I realized that avoiding terrible events was just as lucky as having awesome events happen to you. The more I noticed how I missed painful events, the more I believed that I was lucky. Changing my viewing angle on luck opened up possibilities for me and allowed me to feel hopeful and positive. It's amazing how that small shift changed my outlook.
At Pecan Creek Ranch, when clients are out with the horses, we tell them to keep their heads on a swivel so they can be aware of everything happening around them and keep themselves safe. It occurred to me that keeping your head on a swivel would also be helpful when it comes to the problems that life throws at us.
When we are stuck in a problem or situation, it is difficult to remember that we are only seeing one side or one part of what is happening. We forget that if we change our perspective, we change the information we receive. For example, a toddler views the kitchen counter differently than a six-foot-tall adult because she experiences the counter from a different angle. If the adult sat on the floor and considered the kitchen counter, he would experience the counter in a different way.
Learning to keep our heads on a swivel would allow us to look at every problem and every situation from different views. Seeing a problem or situation from different angles would open up possibilities and provide us with multiple options. With more possibilities and opportunities, we may feel more hopeful and empowered in our lives, and there’s no telling how many incredible possibilities may arise from that!