He hung upside down from his little branch, nibbling away one nut at a time. When he finished, he would swing back up, grab another nut, and go back to hanging upside down until he finished. I have watched many squirrels nibble away on nuts throughout my lifetime, but in all my 26 years I have never seen one do it upside down…

….and it got me thinking.

This summer has been an interesting time in my life. A time of growing and being stretched. A time of some extreme emotions. A time of feeling disappointed and let down. A time where some of the uglier sides of my personality have shown their faces. And while I was able to justify everything, part of me deep down knew that I had had the ability to change my attitude by making a simple decision. I could either continue to whine and complain, get frustrated, and cry at the drop of a hat….or I could suck I up. I could suck it up and realize that the world doesn’t revolve around me (c’mon – I know I can’t possibly be the only one who thinks that sometimes). I could suck it up and start treating some of the people I care about the most a bit better. I could suck it up and be grateful that I have a job I love and am able to be flexible rather than complain about my business not being where I want it to be. And, I could suck it up and change my perspective.

I will never know why Mr. Squirrel, out of the thousands of squirrels I have seen, was hanging upside down eating his nut. But what I do know is that Mr. Squirrel helped me realize that sometimes I just need to change my perspective in life – to see the world in a different way.

And because of the lesson that Mr. Squirrel taught me, I have tried my best to change my perspective. Posted on my desk is a quick printout I made to help remind me every day…

“Be encouraging. Be patient. Be content.” Because those are the 3 areas that my perspective needs to be changed just a bit.

Thanks, Mr Squirrel. 🙂

So help me out here, am I the only one who maybe needs a change in perspective? What are some areas that maybe you can work on changing your perspective?