Enjoy Life More Via Paradigm Shifts

The other night my watch was stolen from my wrist. I couldn’t believe it. I was out with some friends for an evening and it was taken from right under my nose. My husband had given it to me as a present, so I was particularly attached to it. I’m still at a loss as to how it was taken.

Paradigm Shifts

This whole business made me think about something called a ‘paradigm-shift’. What on earth is that? A paradigm shift is seeing something from a completely different angle. A paradigm shift helps provide you with a more sympathetic perspective.

Being Ignored

A good example is saying ‘hello’ to someone and being ignored. In this instance you might feel upset and slighted, ‘How rude of them to ignore me. I won’t say hello again.’

However what if you are then told this person is hard of hearing. This completely changes things doesn’t it? Suddenly rather than being judgemental you’re sympathetic. That is a paradigm shift. What a difference a bit of additional information makes.

The Paradigm Shift with my Watch

So what on earth has all of this got to do with my watch?

I’ve neglected to give you all the information. What I haven’t said is that we were out with friends watching an illusionist. The ‘watch-theft’ was all part of the act. I’ve no idea how he did it. One minute the watch was on my wrist the next it wasn’t. Needless to say within 5 minutes I was re-united with my watch, amazed at the magician’s skill and clapping along with the rest of the audience.

Jumping to Conclusions

I’m telling you this story because it’s so easy to jump to negative conclusions. I was recently discussing the merits of Twitter (a social networking site) with a friend. He immediately voiced his aversion to it. He couldn’t understand why anyone would go on Twitter. In his world it seemed like such a pointless waste of time.

It’s so easy to form a negative, sweeping opinion without investigating other points of view. Something like Twitter may or may not be a waste of time. However if you shut out areas of your life without proper investigation, you are likely to miss out.

Curiosity is the Answer

If you want to enjoy life more, then be open to more paradigm shifts. The way to experience them is to remain curious. Asking questions and finding out other points of view is a great antidote to ‘justified’ anger.

Anyone can jump to conclusions and bemoan life. However that just narrows down your outlook and shuts out opportunities.

Paradigm shifts, on the other hand, provide new openings. Keeping curious and seeing things from a different perspective will keep your life feeling fresh and alive.