Problem: Our moods can go up and down like a roller coaster. One minute we are happy and excited, and the next we are angry or annoyed.
Solution: Choose to view what happens to you through a different lens.
Contact lenses have been around since the late 1800s. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that colored contact lenses became popular. Today, if you don’t like your eye color you can simply change it.
As a life coach and an orthodontist, I want to talk to you about a different kind of lens. This type of lens is associated with your eyes but they go by a different name. These are called P-lenses.
The “P” Stands For Perception.
These lenses do not necessarily improve your vision, but they can definitely change it. P-lenses interpret the events of your life. Each moment of the day, you will be wearing a set of P-lenses that will ultimately determine your mood.
Just like contact lenses come in different colors, P-lenses come in a variety of emotions such as anger, fear, happiness, and sadness .
Whichever lens you choose will ultimately determine your actions. For example, let’s say you stayed up until four in the morning on your phone. At 7 a.m., your alarm goes off and your mother runs in your room screaming that you are going to be late. Can you guess which lens you’d be wearing in that situation? I’m sure you’re thinking you’d be wearing your angry or annoyed lenses. What if you have a crush on one of your classmates? Which type of lenses do you think you would be wearing every time you went to that class? I’m sure it’s the love lens!
Default Lenses. Which Lens You Choose and Why Is It Important?
Your default lenses is your natural reaction to a given situation based on your personality, past experiences, and beliefs.
There are times when your default lenses can help you, but many times it can stand in the way of your happiness. If you are aggressive by nature then your default lenses would tend to be angry, confrontational, aggravated, or annoyed. If you are extremely passive by nature then your default lenses could lean toward being sad, offended, defeated, or fearful.
The only way to prevent yourself from wearing your default pair is to actively choose the type of P-lenses you want to wear.
For example, if you heard that your classmates were laughing at your story on Snapchat. This type of news can ruin your day. If you did not choose your P-lenses then this news will cause you to be upset. It’s a natural reaction.
If you had on your fun P-lenses and you heard this news, your reaction would be completely different. When you have your fun P-lenses you are viewing everything as fun. Do you have a lot of homework? You will grab popcorn, turn on your favorite show, and start completing your homework. Do you have to wash dishes and clean your room? You will crank up the music, and sing and dance while you are doing your chores.
So what would your reaction be if you heard your classmates were laughing at your Snapchat story? You could ignore it since you are focused on fun. Or you could make another embarrassing story but this time make it even funnier.
So How Do You Choose Your P-Lenses?
Ask yourself: What is my favorite lens? This will help you choose to see things in that way.
If happiness is your favorite lens then whenever you wake up in the morning, even before you brush your teeth, put on your happiness lenses. Choose to be happy. Tell yourself that no matter what happens today, I will be happy. The easiest way to be happy is to just smile and you do not need a reason for it! Just smile!
If laughter is your favorite set of lenses, then choose to laugh all day. Look for things that are funny. Tell jokes. Look at social media sites that have funny stories.
You may choose different lenses for different situations.
Maybe at lunch your favorite pair of lenses is the silly set of lenses.
In a sport, your favorite pair of lenses could be the determined set of lenses.
For your younger sibling, your favorite pair of lenses could be the caring set of lenses.
My favorite pair of lenses at work is my excitement lens. I love my job so it’s easy for me to wear these. My favorite pair of lenses at home is the fun and loving sets! When I’m at the gym, I wear my inspiration set of lenses, and when I’m driving I wear my energetic set of lenses.
Just like choosing a pair of colored contact lenses, your P-lenses can be anything you want them to be! The goal is for you to choose rather than always wearing your default pair.
I would love to hear about your favorite lens in the comment section.