Clear on perspectives

Muse #150 - it all about how one interprets things

Jun 21, 2021

**Hongkong city living** - Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/B8ZFV4E0YOw

This is the third post on the third of James Clear’s email quotes this week - extracted below - this one is on perspectives.

“We spend a lot of time talking about everything we have to do.
You have to finish 10 things at work. You have to exercise today. You have to cook dinner for your family.
Now, change one word in each sentence. You don’t “have” to. You “get” to.
You get to finish 10 things at work. You get to exercise today. You get to cook dinner for your family.
The right perspective transforms your burdens into opportunities.”
— James Clear

I love this quote. Wholeheartedly. However, it is not as simple as it seems. It is one possible way that things can be looked at. And just because one looks at things from this perspective, doesn’t mean, one will automatically have the motivation to get things done.

He is missing one key point. We are humans. And humans are designed to have motivation issues - be motivated to do some things and not so much for others - for no reason at all. So I would extend this quote to add a disclaimer “Some things work for some people, some of the time - and this might work for you”

While on the topic of perspectives, I also read another excellent email on this topic and this was from the Daily Stoic - another newsletter I read each day. Here is an extracted of an edited version below with the key points:

Is your house dirty or just well-played in? Are you struggling or growing stronger through resistance training? Are you poor or unburdened? Are you rich or temporarily blessed?
The way we choose to describe ourselves and our situations determines so much of it. The language we use gives us agency or deprives us of it, hurls judgment or provides hope. Which will it be?
This power of perspective is critical…yet most of the time we hand it over to other people or outside sources. We let others determine our identity. We commiserate about labels. We accept the most pessimistic interpretation of things. Of course we’re miserable! Of course we think we’re stuck.
We have to remember what Shakespeare said: Nothing neither good nor bad but thinking makes it so.
Our life, as Marcus Aurelius says, is dyed by the color of our thoughts. Perspective is everything. So choose it wisely.

Sources:

Your Perspective is Everything - https://dailystoic.com/your-perspective-is-everything/

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One little anthro

Clear on perspectives

Muse #150 - it all about how one interprets things

“We spend a lot of time talking about everything we have to do.

You have to finish 10 things at work. You have to exercise today. You have to cook dinner for your family.

Now, change one word in each sentence. You don’t “have” to. You “get” to.

You get to finish 10 things at work. You get to exercise today. You get to cook dinner for your family.

The right perspective transforms your burdens into opportunities.”

— James Clear

Is your house dirty or just well-played in? Are you struggling or growing stronger through resistance training? Are you poor or unburdened? Are you rich or temporarily blessed?

The way we choose to describe ourselves and our situations determines so much of it. The language we use gives us agency or deprives us of it, hurls judgment or provides hope. Which will it be?

This power of perspective is critical…yet most of the time we hand it over to other people or outside sources. We let others determine our identity. We commiserate about labels. We accept the most pessimistic interpretation of things. Of course we’re miserable! Of course we think we’re stuck.

We have to remember what Shakespeare said: Nothing neither good nor bad but thinking makes it so.

Our life, as Marcus Aurelius says, is dyed by the color of our thoughts. Perspective is everything. So choose it wisely.

Discussion about this post