Check Your Lens: Are You Seeing Things Through Positive or Negative Filters?

Part of designing a life worth smiling about is surrounding yourself with nurturing and supportive people. If you hang around negative people who are always complaining about their circumstances, eventually that will become your reality as well. This idea goes beyond just the people you associate with. Look at your external world. If you’re surrounded by positivity and support, your life looks totally different from the way it looks if you are surrounded by negativity.

Here’s a simplistic example of how your environment can influence you. I’ve been focused on applying the principles of my book, How to Design a Life Worth Smiling About, in my personal life. One of the projects that I took on was losing weight and getting healthier. Well, one day my aunt bought my uncle a birthday cake, which sat prominently on the kitchen counter—that delectable cake kept calling my name.

Every time I walked past that counter, right there staring me in the face was this wonderful, rich, sweet birthday cake. So, what do you think I did? Noooo, I didn’t eat it until it was all gone. But believe me, the temptation was there. So, to keep honoring my commitment (rather than falling into my longstanding habits), I asked my family if they could move the cake somewhere out of my line of sight. (Otherwise, I was going to eat it all up!) Ever been there done that?

Along these lines, let me share with you a brief parable related to how each person brings their own perspective to every aspect of life. As you read this, consider which driver you’d rather hang out with and which one will have a better quality of life.

A man pulled into a gas station and asked the attendant, “What are the people like in the next town up ahead?” The attendant said, “What were the people like in the town you just came from?” “They were awful people,” the man responded. “Rude, cold, hostile, abrupt and unfriendly. They wouldn’t give me the time of day.” “Well,” said the attendant, “I’m sorry to say it, but you’re going to find exactly the same sort of people in the town up ahead.”

A bit later, another driver pulled in, coming from the same direction as the first. “What are the people like in the next town up ahead?” the second man asked. The attendant said, “What were the people like in the town you just came from?” “Wonderful people,” the second man responded. “Friendly, warm, helpful, patient and kind. They went out of their way to help a stranger.” “Well,” said the attendant, “I’m happy to tell you that you’re going to find exactly the same kind of people in the next town up ahead.” So, the drivers had a different interpretation of the same exact thing—one saw the world through a negative lens, and the other had a positive mindset. Which type of person would you rather surround yourself with? Which type is most likely to support you in reaching your goals? It’s kind of obvious, right?

As we start off this new year and new decade with changing markets and sometimes challenging obstacles, I want you to be mindful of the lens you are viewing your world through. It makes all the difference in the world.

I’m here to help!

 Darryl Davis, bestselling author of “How to Become a Power Agent in Real Estate” and owner of Darryl Davis Seminars, has trained and coached over 100,000 real estate professionals around the globe for more than 27 years. He is the founder of the Next Level® real estate training system, The Power Program®, which has helped agents double their production over their previous year. For more information, and the new agent tools that can help take you to your Next Level®, please contact darryl@darrylspeaks.com or visit www.ThePowerProgram.com/NewAgentSuccess