Look Up! Embracing a Possibility Mindset

Yesterday, Derek and I walked the trail around Westwood Lake here in Nanaimo. It was a beautiful but windy day, so Westwood Lake was a great place to have a nice hike while being somewhat protected from the wind.

I find that when I walk on trails in the woods, I spend a lot of time looking down at my feet. And yesterday was no exception. There are stretches of the trail that are flat, wide, and smooth but other parts of the trail are narrow and windy with tree roots sticking up all over the place. During those parts especially, it is important to watch the trail in front of me to avoid tripping.

However I find that I occasionally need to remind myself to look up and enjoy the beauty of my surroundings. I can get so mesmerized by the trail that I forget to enjoy the view. I need to balance looking at what is right in front of me to keep me safe and upright with looking up and enjoying the beauty and possibility all around me.

It struck me how much life is like this as well. How much time do we spend looking down watching out for any possible threats that might be in front of us? The roots that we are watching for could take the form of financial worries, health concerns, relationship struggles, or work stressors. How often do we get caught up watching out for obstacles that could be in our way that we forget to look up and see the possibility that is all around us?

When I did take moments to look up from the trail I was able to see the beauty of the lake and the trees. I could see the new growth of the foliage all around me. I could see the birds and other creatures. Some hikers pointed out a large toad in the brush nearby that we could easily have walked right past. If I hadn't looked up, I wouldn't have seen these precious little ducklings.

When I reflect on different areas of my life, I can clearly see places where I need to make a point of looking up. I need to gain perspective. I need to see possibility. I do a lot of social justice work. Right now I am working on a project related to homelessness. It is beautiful and meaningful work, and yet it can also be hard and heartbreaking. I spend a lot of time looking down at the broken systems that have led to the housing and opioid crises. I examine closely the roots of the devastating impacts that these systems and crises have on the lives of individuals. If I am not careful, I can start to feel overwhelmed and develop a sense of hopelessness. That is when it is important for me to look up. I know that I am no good to anyone if I allow myself to lose hope.

When I look up I have the opportunity to see possibility. I start to be able to see the kindness and generosity of spirit of the people who work in the homelessness serving sector. When I broaden my perspective, I can see examples around the world of housing policy that works. When I gain some perspective, I can see the many caring people who are working to change the broken systems. I can see the hope and resilience in the people who have been marginalized. I can see the tender moments that are happening all the time.

When we consistently take time to look up we develop a possibility mindset. We condition ourselves to gain perspective, to see beauty, and we open ourselves to what is possible. And when we do that, we feel better. Our souls are nourished when we take time to see possibility. We develop our own resilience and hope. We were never meant to only look down at our feet watching out for potential threats. We need to find balance by looking up regularly. And when we do that we are likely to find that most of the solutions to life's challenges are found up there. Creative solutions are rarely found on the trail in front of us. They require a broader perspective. Creative solutions are found in the place of possibility.

Have you ever been so consumed by a challenge that you couldn't see a solution that was right in front of you all along? I can think of moments when I am rushing around the house searching for my car keys only to discover that they are right on the counter where I left them. Or when I am searching and searching for something in the fridge even though it is right in front of my eyes. But what happens when we slow down, take a breath, walk away, appreciate beauty, and then come back with a new perspective? So often we can easily see the thing that had once been so elusive.

Looking up to see possibility doesn't just have to relate to the particular challenge we are experiencing. Sometimes a challenge can feel too big to look up from. We can look for possibility in anything to help nourish our souls. We can see possibility in the beauty of nature. We can gain hope in the changing of the seasons. We can see possibility in the kindness of strangers. I find a great sense of possibility in my work officiating weddings for couples. I love to hear them tell me about their love story and their dreams for their life together. It is such a delight to have a bird's eye view of their special day and to have the opportunity to soak up all that love and possibility. I leave feeling uplifted and refreshed. It is a great balance for the more difficult social justice work I do at other times.

In the New Thought tradition we recognize the creative power of focusing on possibility instead of focusing on a challenge. Unfortunately this powerful principle often gets misconstrued as the battle cry of toxic positivity in which people deny that they have any problems and simply 'positive think' their way through life. This interpretation misses the heart of the principle. When we dwell in possibility, we don't deny suffering in our own life and in the world around us. In fact, we look it straight in the eye and size it up for exactly what it is. The key is that we don't stop there. We don't let ourselves get overwhelmed by the challenges. We find hope by looking at possibility. We open ourselves to creative solutions.

So, what are the tree roots on the trail in front of you right now? Are you caring for a loved one who is having a health challenge? Do you have some financial worries? We all have different obstacles on our path at any given time. Sometimes they are small roots that we can easily step over and other times they are big gnarly roots that we have to climb over or walk around.

Whatever your path looks like right now, how much time are you giving yourself to look up? If the path is treacherous you may need to pause for a while so that you can look up safely, or if the path is mostly clear you can probably look up and around you without even breaking your stride.

What are the things you can do to look up? What fills you with a sense of possibility? Maybe you can watch a heartfelt show (Shows like "Ted Lasso" and "Somebody, Somewhere" stir up the warm and fuzzy feelings for me). Maybe you can connect with friends or family. Maybe you can look for examples where others have overcome similar challenges to the ones you are facing. It can be as easy as looking out for the simple beauty and small gestures of kindness that are all around us.

My wish for you is that you are able to look up and enjoy life's beauty.

Peace and many blessings,

Amanda