requires us to do just one thing – to take a step out of ourselves and view the situation from the ceiling.
The biggest difference between humans and animals is our ability to look at ourselves from a different perspective. So, if we tune ourselves to take a step out and view the situation from the ceiling (the specific location i.e. “ceiling” is intentional as it makes it easier for us), we take a huge step forward. The moment we take our position in the ceiling, we see things in a different perspective. Suddenly, a negative situation can appear funny!
And Viktor Frankl attests that in the deep dark environment of a concentration camp, a sense of humour is what preserved that bit of humanity in him. The takeaway for me was that if he could manage a sense of humour in the toughest of surroundings, I think I’ll be able to just fine.
The funny thing about periods when things don’t seem to work is they seem to all happen at the same time. And we have a tendency of lumping unrelated incidents together to indulge in some self pity.
I realized that just this morning. It’s easy to get into a negative rut when a couple of very small things don’t go your away after a tough few days. From my vantage point at the ceiling, I realized that I needed to process situations in isolation instead of lumping it all together as one negative experience. And I think I managed to make the best of it, as impossible as it might have seemed at the start.
A negative rut never helps. If you feel like you’re in one, take a step out, head to the ceiling and look at the situation again. It’s likely you’ll laugh a bit and just make the best of the situation..
Situations are what they are. But, our reactions are what we make of them..
An hour in a negative rut is an hour wasted. We are fortunate to be alive. Let’s make it count.
A Learning a Day 