The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts. - Marcus Aurelius
Frames are how we view the world. Viewing it from a different perspective can change everything. Below are a list of reframes that will change your life for the better.
1. Anxiety is excitement in disguise
Palms sweating, heart racing, blood pumping throughout your body. They are the same experience, but the after effects differ greatly depending on how we label that experience. Next time you notice your heart pumping fast tell yourself that you're excited and notice how the whole experience changes for the better.
2. I'm Lucky
If we see ourselves as lucky we're far more likely to be lucky. Start by comparing yourself to those worse off that you. How lucky are you to not be in their situation? If something bad happens remind yourself of how much worse it could have been and how lucky you are that it didn't turn out that bad. When great things do happen write them down so you can easily remind yourself of how lucky you are. Look through lucky eyes and you'll soon see that you're surrounded by luck.
3. It's all propaganda
When consuming news don't view it through a good/bad lens. Instead view it through the persuasion lens. Assume it's all propaganda and they want you to be persuaded one way or the other on a topic. It allows you to disregard biases and see what is really going on.
Often times news doesn't make sense unless viewed through this lens Eg. Why are they reporting X. That's not news. They're reporting X because it puts a negative bias on Y.
4. Last encounter
Assume that every interaction you have with someone, will be the last. This way you'll always leave situations on the best terms.
And should you be correct you can rest easy knowing you always did your best.
5. Bad questions = bad answers
The questions we ask, determine the answers we get. What type of answer do you want? One that leads you to a better or a worse life? Instead of asking 'Why am I so stupid?' and compiling a list of reasons to back up that claim, ask 'How can I increase my knowledge?'. You'll then compile a list of ways you can improve your life.
Before answering a question reflect on if it's a question worth answering.
6. Avoid stupid
Sometimes the smart move isn't always obvious, but the stupid move is always clear, if we take the time to look. If you want to appear smarter, avoid stupid.
7. Offence is a choice
If a toddler called you a 'poopoo head' would you take offence? Why not? I'm guessing it's because we don't value their opinion that much. So why do we take offence when adults say 'offensive things'? view them as a toddler spouting nonsense and don't let it affect your day.
When we choose to take offence we are only hurting ourselves. Make the smarter choice and choose not to take offence.
8. Bullying is a habit
When you view bullying through this lens the solution becomes a lot clearer. What breaks habits? An undesired outcome. Would you continue to eat your favourite food if the next 3 times you tried it it gave you food poisoning? Bully's bully because they find it fun and it makes them feel powerful, that's why a punch in the face (Something not so fun) usually ends it. If you want them to stop, stop the fun and don't allow that act to make them feel powerful.
It's better to suffer for 2 minutes in a fight than to live a lifetime as a slave. If you're being bullied, you're as good as a slave. Don't be afraid to fight for your freedom, 2 minutes is nothing compared to the rest of your life.
9. The best self lens
Everyone wants to be seen in their best light. If you treat others as if they're already their they'll try harder in order to become that person. When you compare amazing to good, good looks like a loser, since no-one want's to be seen as a loser they'll push themselves to be their best whenever you are near.
10. In the beginning, it's all crap
11. Power boost
The quickest way to gain energy is to envision a better future. Meditate on how great your life could be (Worry about how to get there later). See yourself in your dream job, see yourself interacting with your workmates. See yourself dating the love of your life. See yourself living in your dream home, your dream location ect. The more clearly you see it the more energy you'll gain in order to push you towards your perfect life.
12. KISS
Keep it simple stupid. When writing instead of writing long winded sentences with lots of unneeded words and phrase, keep it short and remove the junk. Look back on your lists and remove unnecessary words/phrases/sentences. The more often you do the the better you'll get. You'll soon start to think clearer. How much better would your life be if you could quieten your thoughts? Learning to simplify does that.
13. Feed of that which aims to kill you
If you can't get energy from food, you get it from your body. Your body kills off its weakest cells and uses them as an energy source. Weak cells are the ones that grow into cancerous cells and what make us sick. Next time you feel like snacking, envision yourself burning these cells and being healthier as a result. Passing on the snack will be much easier to do.
14. All problems are solvable
This works well if we imagine a game. All problems can be solved if you know the code. If you know the code of our universe (physics) or the world (biology, chemistry, psychology ect.) you can solve the problem. If a problem exists it can also not exist.
