"Things are looking up!"

I wanted to feature a classic phrase that we all know and love to give it a little extra texture and meaning. Oftentimes after someone gets through something tough, and they feel like the end is in sight and the worst is behind them, they’d say something like “Things are looking up!”

Thinking about this from the literal lens, if things are looking up then previously they were looking down. Looking down hunches your shoulders and creates a closed body posture. What we often overlook is how our physiology creates our psychology. This is known as bottom-up processing where the neurotransmitters our neurons secrete are dependent on the information being communicated by our bodies. So look up and open up that posture!

You also need to consider this quote from the lens of your attention. If you’re looking down then you’re occupied with what is immediately in front of you. You can be so consumed with the details, nuances, and short-term priorities that you lose sight of the bigger picture. Without that added context your effort can feel futile and as if you’re not contributing toward anything or making progress. Look up and see what’s ahead of you! Broaden the scope of your experience, and connect in with why you’re doing it and what opportunities you see on the horizon. Looking up gives you more forward direction that can motivate you and pull you toward a better future!

Then the last way to think about it is like a line graph. All a line graph does is communicate how one variable fluctuates over time. When things are looking up, the arrow is pointing up, suggesting that more results and good things are to come! You’ve already passed that inflection point where things are no longer trending down for you and you can feel more optimistic about where things are headed.

I challenge you to see the good side of the bad, the up side of the down, and convince yourself that things are looking up! Because if that’s what you believe then the world will adjust to make it true. So let’s do that now - What is your next breakthrough? Make it happen right now by reframing how you think about it.

If you’re in the US or Canada, text me at 949-799-0788 and I’ll send you daily prompts that help you get to know yourself better and build a more meaningful life every day.

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