Change the view and change your mind

I am here in the jungle of Uvita, Costa Rica at 5am reflecting on all the gifts we are given if we take the moment to appreciate them for what they truly are. I am here as part of a research mentorship under the watchful eye of Dr. Ben House.

As a member of this group, we are all required to present. To have some skin in the game. I was given the chance to go on day one after Ben presented and two other extraordinarily smart and experienced colleagues. My talk was exploring whether mindfulness is an effective intervention for fat loss. I won’t spoil it for you (they videotaped it so I will share it on my site) but the evidence looks pretty good.

In addition to Ben and the other attendees, in the audience was a PhD in neuroscience and a Buddhist priest. Needless to say I was presenting about a topic that included materials in each of their respective areas of expertise. Sure I was nervous but also excited that I had the opportunity to have people that dedicated large swaths of their lives to a topic there to help me examine my own. On opportunity for growth.

When we look to our choices surrounding change, are we taking the time to appreciate the gift of choice? Are we appreciating the opportunity? Or are we resenting the fact that these challenges are in front of us?

So much of how we approach life is about perspective. Learning to see opportunity in adversity. Seeing the potential prosperity in a downpour, for the rain brings life. For life isn’t always going to present the easy path, sometimes we have to forge our own. But that path will be the most gratifying one we will ever traverse.