It’s not fair! Do you ever find yourself saying that? I know I do sometimes. The feeling that somehow life is treating me unfairly very often arises from a perceived notion that other people are somehow better off than I am. Perhaps they own more or better things than me, or seem to have great connections with other people, or wonderful jobs, or just seem to be so happy. Some people never seem to put a foot wrong and have all the luck.
But ‘seem’ is the operative word here. We are acutely aware of what we think we lack in our own lives, but we never fully know what challenges other people face, or what troubles they have had in their past. No one gets a free ride. We all need the courage to face any number of things in our daily lives – if not today, then tomorrow.
That’s why some of my favorite guided writing activities have to do with finding a new perspective. When your mind gets stuck in an accustomed pattern of thinking, perceiving lack and unfairness – what you need to do is step outside this circle of thoughts. There are a myriad of writing activities which allow you to take a different view of yourself or your circumstances – by, for example, writing from the perspective of another person or even from the perspective of an inanimate object. Perhaps you can introduce an unexpected element into a familiar situation through your writing, to make the familiar extraordinary. Stepping back from your customary way of thinking allows you to see things more objectively, and achieve greater empathy – both with other people and with yourself. You may find that you become more grateful for what you have, and achieve more balance in your daily life.
But I’ll leave gratitude as the topic for another post!