This article is by Goodness Exchange, an online platform celebrating the wave of goodness and progress well underway all around the world. View the original article here.
Small insights can change the way you see the world around you. What if I told you we can take that one step further and alter our perspectives to see the world in an entirely new and better light!
Our guide for this leap is Dewitt Jones, a world-renowned National Geographic photographer, who has created a short, funny, and simply unforgettable talk that has changed the lives of over a million people. If you haven’t seen this, enjoy a door opening on a world you will have access to from here on out.
Asking the right questions
It all starts when Dewitt asks himself one question: “Why does it seem like the world revolves around amplifying fear and scarcity? After pondering that question, he flipped it and asked, “If there is still wonder and beauty in the world – which undoubtedly there is – then why do I seem to be giving my attention over to all the fear and scarcity?” Now there is a better question! And with that, he formulated a plan:
Let’s start with a quick thought experiment: When was the last time you were a part of a downward spiral conversation and someone said, “Well, let’s look on the bright side… “? It doesn’t happen much anymore. It seems like there aren’t many people defending the positive aspects of our world right now. But we are about to introduce you to someone who is perfectly positioned to change all that. Now, more than ever, we have the perfect tool to be able to find happiness in our times: choice.
When we realize we can choose to see what’s right with the world, we start to see beauty and opportunity more often. And by doing away with the notion that there is only one “right” answer, we open the door to connections with others that we never knew were possible. Even the slightest shift in perspective can change everything.
It’s all about reframing
Dewitt Jones knows a few things about reframing the world around him. As a professional photographer for National Geographic, he was tasked with bringing the wonders of the planet to millions of homes around the world. During his time as a professional photographer, he learned some profound lessons about the way we perceive the world. These are powerful insights that allow us to live a life of joy and possibility.
Hear what he has to say about how we can view our lives a little differently if we just switch our lens in his empowering talk from the TEDx stage: Via: TEDx Talks 1
How to start celebrating what’s right with the world!
Perhaps it’s best to begin with embracing the practical value of Dewitt’s observations. What obstacle remains immovable in your personal or business life because you assume there is only one right answer? What intractable problems are out there just waiting for someone to come along and celebrate the good in the situation before diving into finding solutions? How would those solutions be improved by first taking into consideration what is working beautifully?
After seeing how this puts a spring in your step and that of many of the people around you, then it may be time to get philosophical about what’s going on.
Our reality is deeply shaped by the negative media. Now, it is often difficult to see the forest from the trees. Dewitt does a wonderful job helping us rise above all that too. He points out how the media bombards us with what’s wrong with the world and reminds us how easy it is to stare into that darkness because our brains have evolved to prioritize fear and scarcity. That capacity was what made our ancestors successful 40,000 years ago. Now though, we have evolved the intellect to ignore these ancient impulses and choose to focus on the good news.
We can’t deny what is wrong with the world. But we can position ourselves to be able to put those problems into a larger, more balanced picture. One that includes the beauty of the world. Only there we can see that there is far more right with the world than what is wrong with it!
Here are two practices that I’ve been consciously applying since seeing Dewitt’s TED Talk:
When we walk into a situation that seems full of chaos, we can pause to change our lens to one of celebration for a few moments, and ask ourselves, “What is there here to celebrate?”
When we consciously look for the light within others, even in a moment of intense negativity, and do the things that give them the courage to let their light shine out, they are uplifted and it graces us too!
What you can do now to change the world for everyone
Dewitt Jones has founded a movement, Celebrate What’s Right, and you can find so much inspiration there! Want to make celebration habit in your life? Celebrate What’s Right offers an e-course course called The Habit of Celebration. They make it easy to begin making celebration a habit instead of just a “nice idea”. The course is developed to help you shift your default lens on the world to one that sees possibility instead of problems. You can also join the Celebrate What’s Right Facebook group to connect with a community of like-minded thinkers sharing what they are celebrating!
The world is hungry for a “lens of celebration” instead of a lens of division. It is still an amazing world. We can change the future by changing what we give our attention to and focusing on the good news. And there are more small wonders in a drop of pond water than all the terrifying things in the world put together.
Stay open, curious and hopeful!
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