TED Tuesday: Reframing Will Change You

Let's get intellectual!

Today's TED Talk is from Rory Sutherland who is a charismatic speaker and an advertising man who will catch your attention with the magic of perception. I absolutely love the fresh energy he brings to the stage and have no shortage of talks to share with you.

I love this particular talk because Rory's consistent message demonstrates that measuring reality isn't the guide to human happiness - perception is!

We've talked here before about tricking your mind with body language, loving the work you do to gain a happiness advantage and even making yourself kick it into gear with 30 is not the new 20.

Today's twist is a little different and really takes less effort to understand and to apply reframing to your everyday world.

Reframing, what is it?

It's taking an existing situation, putting a beautiful spin on it and turning your world into a brighter place.

Here are a few simple things I have changed my perception about in the last year:

1. My 30-90 minute commute in the evenings after work can be a serious d r a g, but rather than curse everyone around me I've channeled that energy into candidly taking car selfies when my eye-liner is still intact and listening to today's radio hits that don't exist anywhere else in my music-listening life.

2. No, I don't have a master's degree. No I'm not as successful as my brother. No, I'm not as entrepreneurial as my parents, blonde like my sisters or even as charming as my Daniel - but YES I'm making myself better everyday through personal, family and career goals and that's what I'm happy to compare myself to.

3. Let's talk bank account. I used to see what wasn't there. I didn't have money to just go buy a car like friends were doing, live in a swanky downtown apartment like my friends or even have the spare change to jet-set all the time. What I see now is what I've saved. I see my spending will-power in action, I see smart choices and I ultimately have grown up to see that I don't need more stuff.

Back to the talk. The quotation I wrote down after watching a few times was "the circumstances of our life are less significant than the control we feel over our lives." From animals to humans, if you feel that you have control over your choices you're happiness is multiplied compared with if you feel that circumstances are out of your control.

I love sharing talks that inspire us to use the tools that are already in your tool belt to foster a healthier and happier version of ourselves. You can become happier not by aspiring for bigger tools or better tools, but rather by acquiring the skill needed to wield those tools.

Rather than change reality, can you change your perception (and others' perceptions of you!)?

[ted id=1437]