Is Your Window to the World as Bright as You Think It Is?

Imagine your world view as a window. With blinds.

Each blind presents an obstacle, of which there are many. The bright spots between the blinds represent the little joys, the moments of happiness, the feeling of connection and synchronicity—frankly, all the elements people allude to while trying to convince you that "life is beautiful."

Most of us walk through our lives with the shades closed pretty tight. We catch slivers of light that shine through our window to the world, but our sights are often overshadowed by the upsets, the obstacles, and the fears. We block our full view of the world because the shades keep us feeling safe, guarded, protected.

No one can see inside, no one can take advantage of our vulnerability, no one can disappoint us. It does feel safer to keep the blinds low. But it's also miserable. Because your entire world view is centered on your grievances.

We even believe that other people will take us more seriously if we prove to them how hard we have it. "Ugh, today was so much work." "Life is such a slog." "I can't escape the grind." "#strugglebus" "#MONDAYS, AMIRIGHT?" They call it working "hard" for a reason—people think it should be hard! Nobody calls it "working easy." …BUT WHAT IF THEY DID?! I mean, by our current logic, isn't it ironic that people who genuinely derive joy from their jobs tend to be more successful? Shouldn't we actually be striving to 'work easy' if we want to succeed long-term?

How do you think your shades are drawn?

Are they twisted open slightly? Do you do your best to soak in all the joyful moments, but still feel overwhelmed by the stress when it arises? Do the little annoyances cloud your view?

Are your shades closed tight? Are you easily aggravated or do you have a sense that "nothing goes your way" or "everything that can go wrong will go wrong?" If so, do you find that assuming the worst makes it feel better when things do go wrong? Or does it weigh you down knowing your back is constantly against the wall?

Are your blinds drawn wide open? Do you take pleasure in the work that you do? Do you see the stressful moments that flow through your life as just that—moments that flow—because you see that the big picture is more than just the wooden plank that blocks your view in the moment?

What if you could twist your shades open to let the sun shine through a little brighter?

I'm not suggesting that the blinds should disappear (hell, even when you draw the blinds completely, they still exist above the window), but you'd get to enjoy the view a little bit more, wouldn't you?

Imagine a world in which you are able to see the big picture all the time. Whenever an obstacle or stressor arises, you're able to recognize its impermanence. You can see beyond the wooden slat—that the life surrounding it is far more beautiful than a life blocked by its view.

Imagine you are this resilient. Because you are—and you can be.

Use this visualization to help open that window in your heart chakra:

Next time you are in an aggravating situation, try to visualize your window to the world. Imagine the event that is causing you stress is just a part of the window dressing—what lies beyond? Try to look. Can you see the soft green grass, the rolling hills, the great big sky? Can you see your support system, the people in your life who hold you up, the infinite number of joyful moments that are just waiting for you to notice them? Can you feel the intensity of the antagonizing moment losing its weight, its value? Guess what?

This is gratitude.

The more frequently you exercise the part of your brain that appreciates ANYTHING in your life, the easier it gets to open that window in your heart—to see the great big landscape that awaits you.

While you may never be able to remove the blinds completely—obstacles are a part of life, after all—by soaking in all of the joys life has to offer, you're stacking the deck in your favor. 

And that's all we really want, right? To stack the deck in our favor? To grow old and reflect on all that we've done with joy and gratitude and peace in our hearts—to know that we focused on what really mattered, when all was said and done? You can't get there when you never noticed the view to begin with.

So if you're looking to exponentially increase the value of your day-to-day, so you can one day look back and feel all the highs so much more intensely than any of the lows, give gratitude a shot. This window drill is a solid entry point. I hope it serves you well.