3 Keys to Processing Your Perspective Positively & Productively

When I was in college, I shared an apartment with 5 buddies of mine at the end of Bel-Air Drive.  It is such a prestigious-sounding location, isn’t it? It was a nice-enough apartment, but it was a bit of a misnomer considering that we lived near the local sewage plant.  Let’s just say that on a clear day, the air was not so clear! It caused me to wonder – what do they DO at a sewage plant? How in the world do they possibly process all of that sewage in a way that is productive and positive?  How do they take out what needs to be eliminated, process what’s left, and make it usable for anything?

I still don’t know the answer to that question, but the question itself is a valuable one to consider in life.  All of us have had ‘sewage’ in our lives. Bad experiences, poor choices, unfortunate circumstances. Sometimes life deals us a bad hand through no fault of our own, sometimes we deal the cards ourselves and have to face the consequences.  Whatever the reason, we all have sewage that we have to somehow deal with. The question is, how can we process it all in ways that are productive and positive?

I have discovered 3 keys in life that help me to do that.  They are the keys of Place, Space, and Pace. We’ve already touched on the first key, Place, in our previous blog entries.  Let’s develop it a bit further here.

We all need a Place where we can properly process our thoughts.  For me, that is a physical place. Anywhere in nature seems to work, but I’ve discovered a small lake near my home and I walk there regularly.  It is about a 1.5 mile loop through a beautiful tree-lined path along the lake which takes me about 30 – 40 minutes to walk. There is a small bridge that crosses a brook about 20 feet away from where I park.  Whenever I step onto that bridge, I say “Hello, God.” With those words, I enter into my Place, and begin to process the thoughts and perspectives of my life.

Where can you go to begin processing your own perspectives?  Maybe nature isn’t the place for you. Maybe it’s a room in your home, or a comfortable chair where you like to sit.  Perhaps it is in your car during the morning commute, running on a treadmill at the gym or on a track outdoors.  

Find your Place, and make a commitment to go there regularly.  When you do, you can begin to properly process your thoughts and perspectives on your own life, and discover how to be both productive and positive in the next steps of your life’s journey.