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As May comes to an end, one can’t help but think of the old proverb, "April showers bring May flowers." For many, it is a struggle to see past the doldrums of the rain, thereby creating an unpleasant experience in the moment.
What if a simple perspective shift could profoundly change one’s journey in life? Recognizing that one’s perspective (and accordingly, one’s experience) is a personal choice can be an empowering shift, leading to a more extraordinary life.
Language matters. The human brain tries to deliver what it thinks its host wants. Quipping that "April showers bring May flowers" trains the brain to see April (and its showers) as something to persevere through to get to the May flowers. That perspective brings resistance with it, whether conscious or unconscious. This resistance introduces negativity.
What if, instead, one were to focus on the sheer joy of the showers themselves? Not as a way to get to the ultimate destination of flowers but, rather, as an exceptional experience in and of itself.
Imagine how much more fulfilling the experience would be if one trained the brain to appreciate the wildly divergent sound patterns that the rain brings—a symphony of music, changing tempo and tone moment to moment. What if one celebrated the dance of the raindrops as they hit different surfaces, creating art in the myriad unexpected patterns that emerge? And if one closed their eyes and breathed in the rich earthy smells the rain evokes, the experience would be elevated, bringing appreciation in the moment.
Rather than April showers being something to endure on the journey to May flowers, they would become a gift that brings joy in the journey.
How to Apply This Principle to Invoke a More Joyful Life
Taking that lens and expanding the scope, imagine the potential power of applying that principle to one’s life (i.e. training the brain to enjoy the journey at each step). It may seem counterintuitive at the outset, but, fortunately, it is an easy habit to develop.
Think of any task or series of tasks awaiting completion at the moment. Consider the steps required to complete these tasks. Rather than thinking of these as have-to-do items or hurdles to overcome, choose, instead, to appreciate each step of the journey en route to completion of that task. Recognize that this is, in fact, a choice.
The same choice arises when considering larger life goals. Everyone gets to determine where to put their focus and what meaning to attach to their thoughts. One can focus on the end goal, seeing each step in the process as a necessary evil to reach that goal. Or one can embrace those interim steps as moments to be fully experienced and enjoyed along the way.
Negotiating one’s mindset may be the most important negotiation undertaken in every moment of each day. When considering bigger life visions and dreams, one can see the steps along the path to that vision as a grind, a trial, a tribulation. Alternatively, one can choose mindful presence in each moment as one moves toward that vision.
Choose Joy in the Journey
How much more empowered will life’s adventures be if we train the brain to find the joy, to seek the beauty and gifts, to bask in gratitude in each moment?
Imagine how much better a life can be when one accepts that they hold the power to train their brain to seek more positive and uplifting evidence. Avoiding negative language and self-talk and, instead, choosing more positive framing of one’s daily path will train the brain to find evidence of this positivity. But the opposite is also true. Using negative language, even internally, will send messages to the brain to find evidence of this negative expectation.
Simple perspective shifts can be game changers in life. Why not choose to adopt one of these game changers now?
From attending to small tasks to relationship building, to building an empire, choose joy in the journey. How simple is that?
