This mind of ours never stops. Research shows that we humans produce some 60,000 thoughts each day. That extensive number of thoughts is an irrefutable consequence of our society’s obsessive need to be busy and distracted.

Many of our thoughts are anything but productive, and we do very little to regulate our mind’s rapacious activity. We allow our minds to be “future chasers” or “past dwellers.” They take us everywhere except for where it matters most — the present moment. 

We all have the ability to become more present, awake and aware. The challenge is training our minds to stop — really stop. The mind is prone to wander out of the present but we can train it to move away from the busyness in our heads through practicing Mindfulness. 

Practicing Mindfulness reins in our random thoughts and holds us in the present moment. We all have the inherent ability to utilize Mindfulness by going inward and focusing on our breath. As we stay focused on the breath, we connect to the present and are able to look more deeply into what we’re actually feeling in the moment. 

Mindfulness reminds us that we’re here in this moment of “now.” It’s a state in which we’re observing our life unfold and becoming better able to experience it with clarity and acceptance. It allows us to intentionally bring our wandering mind into the present, liberates us from our emotional baggage and gives us a more balanced perspective. 

With a Mindfulness approach to every moment, we find ourselves eating more slowly and really tasting our food without rushing. We make time for a leisurely walk while paying close attention to the sights, sounds and smells of nature around us. Taking the time to simply observe, we see so much more than when we’re busy thinking about what we have to do next. We open up to what resides in our hearts.

“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” – Norman Vincent Peale

Explore these ways to transcend limited thoughts and become more awake, present and aware: 

1. Stop the brain’s busyness

The mind likes to be busy. It thrives on activity and distraction. It’s incumbent upon us to teach it how to become quiet and still from time to time. When we feel distracted or that we’re not fully present, we can put our focus and awareness on the breath to find stillness. Using the breath as a type of meditation allows us to connect with the wholeness that’s within. We can experience that connection when we take a walk and observe nature, or when we sit quietly savoring a cup of tea. When we’re fully present and surrender to the moment with total awareness, we experience a sense of non-separation that makes us feel whole, complete and authentically ourselves. 

2. Navigate the moment with neutrality

Staying present in the moment can be challenging if we’re facing something daunting, difficult or unclear. Emotions such as anger or insecurity can make our minds race. But if we allow ourselves to open to challenging moments with acceptance, our resistance begins to dissolve. We can tell ourselves, “I can handle this moment. There’s nothing for me to fear.” We can direct the moment — meaning we can navigate it with neutrality — because we’re no longer constricting or reacting, but allowing for it to just be. Opening up to whatever challenges present themselves, instead of resisting them, helps us ease into those moments, learn from them and find what rings true for ourselves. 

3. Engage in “life gazing.” 

When we take the time to simply look around us, we see so much more than when we’re busy thinking about what we have to do next. We can practice being aware of what’s around us when we’re stopped at a red light and notice what’s out the car window. Or when we step outside and observe what’s taking place on the street. Balancing our daily routine of work, chores and running errands with taking present moment intervals to stop our minds from being on autopilot helps us to feel more alive and vital. 

4. Strive to elevate awareness

We often function from an unaware routine of simply going through the paces of our day. But by practicing Mindfulness, we’re able to live our lives in the moment that exists right now, fully aware and awake. Finding time to stop the “doing” and connect to our spiritual center will bring us to the inner dwelling of our wholeness, which, in essence, is the authentic self. Taking time to connect to and acknowledge our true selves helps us appreciate this precious gift of life. 

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Struggling to let go of situations, circumstances, and resentment? Can’t seem to shake off the negative thoughts and feelings that are lingering around? You know that you want to let them go, but you have no idea where to start or how to do this? If this sounds like you, then this is the article intended for you! This six-step process will help you let go of unwanted ideas and emotions and support you in choosing ones that will place you in alignment and harmony with your true self. By the end of this article, you will realise that you have all the power within you to direct and change your thoughts, feelings, and actions.

1. Feel what you feel

Begin this exercise by allowing yourself to feel what you are feeling by sitting with your emotions. Yep, that’s right; I’m suggesting that you sit with them and feel them, even if the thought of this scares you. This may be an uncomfortable and unpleasant task to undertake; however, the first step in letting go of your emotions is acknowledging their existence. Do this without resisting, criticising, fearing, judging, or feeling guilty about them. What does this mean? In other words, it implies not constructing a story about them but identifying them as just feelings. In this space, surrender to the emotions without trying to alter or resist them in any way. 

2. Release them in a healthy way

Once you have sat with your emotions, it is now time to remove them from your mind in a healthy way. Each person has their own way of releasing thoughts and feelings, so finding what works for you is essential. Unfortunately, many people suppress, repress, or reactively express their emotions. By following these unhealthy forms, you only delay the process of letting go and create a feeling of stuckness, anxiety, and fear. Some examples of healthier ways to release these emotions are through journaling, crying, or exercising. Again, do not try and judge or generate a story about your feelings; just remove them from your mind.

“Emotion can be the enemy, if you give into your emotion, you lose yourself. You must be at one with your emotions, because the body always follows the mind.” – Bruce Lee

3. Focus on your breathing

Our breath is one of our greatest yet underestimated blessings. When utilised to its potential, the breath is designed to help us relax, focus, and become aware of ourselves and our surroundings. To make the most of this incredible gift we have, get yourself into a comfortable position and pay attention to your breath. Close your eyes and take ten deep breaths, focusing on the inhale and exhale. Try to concentrate solely on the air entering and leaving your body without thinking about anything else. If thoughts or emotions appear, tell them that you will return to them shortly. After this exercise, begin to notice how your mind, body, and soul feel. In this tranquil state, you have an unblurred vision to make decisions and choose thoughts that work in your favour. 

4. Step outside of yourself

Now that you are in a calmer state, you want to engage in this visualisation exercise. Begin by closing your eyes and imagining that you are stepping out of your physical body and looking down at yourself from a bird’s eye view. As you look down, send love, positive energy, and courage to yourself. Repeat the affirmations at least three times. “I choose to send you love, positive energy, and strength. You have all the answers you need to move forward with grace and freedom.” Then, praise yourself for engaging in activities that support your personal development. 

5. Ask yourself 

After your praise and acknowledgment, think of the idea or belief you want to let go. Then, ask yourself the following question, “Does this thought or belief serve me to my highest good?” If the answer is no, repeat this statement at least three times, “I choose to let this thought go, as it does not support me in my highest good.” 

6. Use affirmations 

After repeating this statement, mentally come back to your body. As you do, become aware of the new energy, perspective, and attitude you have. This calmer vibration will allow you to stay in control of your thoughts, feelings, and actions, and you will become more aware of the choices you make. As your day goes on, repeat the statement, along with affirmations that will keep you in a loving and conscious vibration. Examples include, I choose love, I choose to forgive myself and others, and I choose to let go of the past and be better in the now.

As you always have and always will have the ability to let go of thoughts that no longer serve you, this six-step process can assist you in all situations, regardless of the severity and intensity of the circumstance. Remember that no one but you has the power to choose what you hold on to and what you choose to let go of. This is your life; you decide how you live in each moment.

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One of the greatest powers we have is the ability to have thoughts. Yes, sometimes those thoughts become negative or detrimental and they don’t serve us, but sometimes those thoughts are empowering and can take us anywhere. But have you ever asked yourself where your thoughts come from?

Most of our thoughts are self-created; in other words, they come from us. We can learn something or hear something or see something, but everything that happens after that is created by you. Why that’s so important to understand is because your thoughts are your greatest superpowers, and you have the ability to make them your trusted advisors instead of your biggest critics.

If you are the author of most of your thoughts, that gives you the power to create ones that serve you…if you choose to. Thoughts are choices, and the choices we make determine how we feel, how we sound, what we pursue in life, what we don’t pursue in life, whether we’re healthy, whether we’re not healthy, and whether we give certain things a try or never try them. 

Those choices are the key ingredients to our self-confidence, our self-esteem, and our self-worth. Other people don’t create any of those things for us. Ever! We create it all, and if your life isn’t where you would like it to be, you can begin making it different by using that superpower in ways that serve you.

Start with self-awareness

Example #1:

Do you have thoughts in your head that are contrary to what people have told you over the years? For example, maybe you’re a good artist and people have told you over the years you’re a really good painter or that you draw so well. But when they say, “You’re a really good artist,” your response is always, “Really? You think so?” or “No, I’m not that good.”

What you’re thinking or choosing to believe is the exact opposite of what everyone else is telling you. That’s a problem. If you hear multiple people telling you that you are good at something (especially when they don’t have to), begin to believe them instead of your dismissive thoughts.

Example #2:

Do you have thoughts in your head about something someone said to you one time, years ago, that you’ve spent the last several years telling yourself over and over and over? For example, maybe you were at a business event and you tripped and a coworker said, “You’re such a klutz.” From that day forward, you became extra super careful because you were so embarrassed by tripping that you took on that one thing that one coworker said in a moment when maybe it was true for a second, but you’ve been so careful and cautious since because you constantly are reminding yourself, “Don’t be a  klutz. Don’t fall down or trip. Don’t embarrass yourself.”

It was a one-time event that you could have laughed off in the moment and said, “Yep, the gravity is really strong right there!” Chances are, it would have been forgotten by all as soon as the conversation went to the next topic. Instead, it was a choice to take on the identity of a klutz for years after the event, and that has continued to affect your behavior, making you uncomfortable in business situations.

“Your beliefs, either positive or negative, helpful or hurtful, largely determine everything you do and how you do it.” – Brian Tracy

The first step to using this superpower is to take out your head-trash

Sit down and do a thought inventory. Just like you would do in a warehouse full of crap, it’s time to declutter your thoughts. Beginning today, really start paying attention to your thoughts. Which ones are reoccurring? Write them down and make a list. As you start to notice the thoughts that come into your head regularly, ask yourself, “Where did those thoughts come from?”

As you discover thoughts during your excavation that are completely made up and have zero validity, purge them. How do you do that? Use these two tools:

Tool #1 – Acknowledge it’s not real.

Say to yourself out loud, “That’s a ridiculous thought, because it’s not true!”

Simply acknowledge to yourself that it’s not real; it’s completely made up and a lie. Remind yourself that the reason you have that thought over and over is because you’ve created a habit. The more you say to yourself, “That’s not true,” when the thought pops up, the quicker it fades away because you’ve replaced it with something that stops it in its tracks.

That doesn’t mean you have to get all Pollyanna about your life, but rather to become more balanced with your thoughts. Chances are, if you’re a negative self-talker or a negative thinker, you never give yourself the whole story; you only give yourself half the story. I call this the ‘partly cloudy, partly sunny approach.’ When a weather forecaster says it’s going to be partly cloudy, she is also saying it’s going to be partly sunny because, in order for one or the other to happen, both have to be present! If you’re a pessimist or a negative thinker, you will always be looking at the partly cloudy side of everything (“yeah, but…”) and you will miss the fact that it’s also partly sunny.

People who are extreme positive thinkers have the same problem, as they only choose to see everything as partly sunny and miss the partly cloudy, which sometimes includes challenges that need to be faced. But negative thinking is often more detrimental than positive thinking is, so we’ll stick to the topic at hand. You’re allowed to continue choosing to look at partly cloudy, however get in the habit of also seeing the partly sunny side. If you only have half the story, you don’t have the story.

This simply means that every time you complain about something or think ‘that can’t happen,’ flip to the other side and see the whole picture by thinking, ‘If it could happen, what would that look like?’ or ‘Maybe it can’t, but maybe it can.’ Give yourself a chance to see the possibilities or the other side of the negative thought you’re having, because it’s always there! There’s always another side. Using this tool will help you to get out of the negative-thinking hole a lot faster.

You are the author of your thoughts.

Just because you have a thought doesn’t mean you have to listen to it or believe it. Which ones you choose to listen to and believe is your choice. As the author of your thoughts, you can make choices as to which ones you’re going to keep and which you’re going to edit out. Listening to too many negative, made up, or untrue thoughts will never give you a positive outcome in your life. However, by getting in the habit of seeing both sides, and choosing which thoughts are keepers and which are head-trash, is up to you and will change your life.

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A simple thought or quote can send your mind off in a new direction. 

It can be the simple start of a positive change in your life and in how you think about things.

So in this post I’d like to share the most thought-provoking quotes on perspective that I’ve found over the past decade and a half.

You’ll for instance learn:

• Why sorrow and pain can be something that will bring you more joy in the long run.
• That if you want a change in your world then that starts with you and what you focus on.
• How to reduce the worrying in your life.

If you want more motivation and timeless thoughts that will send your mind off on new and unexplored pathways then check out this post with quotes about empathy and also this one that’s all about finding inner peace.

Thought-Provoking Quotes About Perspective

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
Anaïs Nin

“There are no facts, only interpretations.”
Friedrich Nietzsche

“The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don’t have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it.”
Chris Pine

“Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.”
Helen Keller

“Empathy begins with understanding life from another person’s perspective. Nobody has an objective experience of reality. It’s all through our own individual prisms.”
Sterling K. Brown

“Often it isn’t the mountains ahead that wear you out, it’s the little pebble in your shoe.”
Muhammad Ali

“Distance not only gives nostalgia, but perspective, and maybe objectivity.”
Robert Morgan

“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see in truth that you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”
Kahlil Gibran

“Every form of art is another way of seeing the world. Another perspective, another window. And science –that’s the most spectacular window of all. You can see the entire universe from there.”
Claudia Gray

“Gratitude is one of the strongest and most transformative states of being. It shifts your perspective from lack to abundance and allows you to focus on the good in your life, which in turn pulls more goodness into your reality.”
Jen Sincero

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”
Frances Hodgson Burnett

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
Confucious

“A little perspective, like a little humor, goes a long way.”
Allen Klein

“Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.”
Lao Tzu

“If we don’t have a sense of humor, we lack a sense of perspective.”
Wayne Thiebaud

“What we do see depends mainly on what we look for. … In the same field the farmer will notice the crop, the geologists the fossils, botanists the flowers, artists the colouring, sportmen the cover for the game. Though we may all look at the same things, it does not all follow that we should see them.”
John Lubbock

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.”
Alphonse Karr

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.”’
Soren Kierkegaard

“Maxim for life: You get treated in life the way you teach people to treat you.”
Wayne Dyer

“It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view.”
George Eliot

“It is entirely possible that behind the perception of our senses, worlds are hidden of which we are unaware.”
Albert Einstein

“Never mistake motion for action.”
Ernest Hemingway

“No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit.”
Ansel Adams

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”
Abraham Maslow

“It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.”
Neil Armstrong

“While there is perhaps a province in which the photograph can tell us nothing more than what we see with our own eyes, there is another in which it proves to us how little our eyes permit us to see.”
Dorothea Lange

“Only in quiet waters do things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world.”
Hans Margolius

“If we are always arriving and departing, it is also true that we are eternally anchored. One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.”
Henry Miller

“Though I might travel afar, I will meet only what I carry with me, for every
man is a mirror. We see only ourselves reflected in those around us. Their attitudes and actions are only a reflection of our own. The whole world and its condition has its counterparts within us all. Turn the gaze inward. Correct yourself and your world will change.”
Kristen Zambucka

You may also find this post with quotes about regret helpful.

Inspiring Quotes on Changing Perspective

“It is not he who reviles or strikes you who insults you, but your opinion that these things are insulting.”
Epictetus

“In all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.”
Bertrand Russell

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”
Anaïs Nin

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”
Thich Nhat Hanh

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”
C.G. Jung

“To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions.”
Stephen R. Covey

“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“It’s been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.”
L.M. Montgomery

“It’s not only moving that creates new starting points. Sometimes all it takes is a subtle shift in perspective, an opening of the mind, an intentional pause and reset, or a new route to start to see new options and new possibilities.”
Kristin Armstrong

“I never think of myself as an icon. What is in other people’s minds is not in my mind. I just do my thing.”
Audrey Hepburn

“On a deeper level you are already complete. When you realize that, there is a playful, joyous energy behind what you do.”
Eckhart Tolle

“Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.”
Albert Einstein

“There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally.”
Don Miguel Ruiz

“If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.”
Jim Rohn

“One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren’t enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress.”
Viggo Mortensen

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
George Bernard Shaw

“One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important.”
Bertrand Russell

“Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they started.”
David Allen

“If we climb high enough, we will reach a height from which tragedy ceases to look tragic.”
Irvin D. Yalom

“What people in the world think of you is really none of your business.”
Martha Graham

Positive Perspective Quotes

“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”
Henry Ford

“Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.”
Dalai Lama

“Perspective is everything when you are experiencing the challenges of life.”
Joni Eareckson Tada

“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.”
Winston Churchill

“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.”
Mahatma Gandhi

“When you wake up every day, you have two choices. You can either be positive or negative; an optimist or a pessimist. I choose to be an optimist. It’s all a matter of perspective.”
Harvey Mackay

“Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.”
Eskimo Proverb

“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.”
Og Mandino

“I am still determined to be cheerful and to be happy in whatever situation. I may be, for I have also learnt from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions and not upon our circumstances.”
Martha Washington

“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.”
Peter Marshall

“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
Marthe Troly-Curtin

“If men would consider not so much wherein they differ, as wherein they agree, there would be far less of uncharitableness and angry feeling in the world.”
Joseph Addison

“There is strange comfort in knowing that no matter what happens today, the Sun will rise again tomorrow.”
Aaron Lauritsen

“Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it.”
Irving Berlin

“If you believe it will work out, you’ll see opportunities. If you believe it won’t, you will see obstacles.”
Wayne Dyer

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did so. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Mark Twain

Want even more? You can find a in-depth collection of quotes on compassion here.

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