Time to read: 3 minutes
Article at a glance:
- Our perspective shapes our experience. Changing your “lens” can change how you feel, think, and respond
- With the right lens, you can access more curiosity, possibility, calm, and connection (especially a stronger sense of Ubuntu)
- Ask simple questions like “What else could be true?” to explore new perspectives with humility.
- Start your day with gratitude. Focusing on what’s right gives you energy to improve what’s not.
“Change Your Lens, Change Your Life” is the title of a video we’ve watched at Redmond for years, produced by our friend, photographer and speaker Dewitt Jones.
Naturally, Dewitt uses camera lenses as a metaphor for how we see the world, because your view through the camera is going to be completely different depending on which lens you’re using, and our perspective on life is the same.
“We view the world not as it is, but as we are.” - Anaïs Nin
He recently told us a story that illustrates this perfectly, and with a fun tagline to boot!
Here’s a new twist on “Change Your Lens, Change Your Life.”
A New Way to Change Your Lens: The German Optometrist
Dewitt told us a story about his childhood optometrist who was from East Germany. Whenever she adjusted the machine so he could try new lenses she would ask him, “Is dis makes it better?” with a thick accent.
That phrase has stuck with Dewitt for his whole life, and when he finds himself bumping up against friction, he hears in his mind, “Is dis makes it better?”
And that’s his cue to try a new lens.
Constantly try on new lenses and ask yourself “is dis makes it better?” And if the answer is “no,” try a new lens! Look at things a different way.
How to Change Your Lens
Step One: Notice when you want to change your lens.
First, what do we mean by lens?
Your lens is the perspectives, mindsets, and paradigms that shape how you see the world. These come from how we were raised, our personalities, the people we spend time with, the media we consume, the culture we live in, etc.
Here are some signs that you could use a lens change:
- You feel insecure.
- You feel guilty for how you’re showing up.
- You feel frustrated and like you’re running into the same issues over and over.
Step Two: Identify Your Current Lens
When you feel like a lens change could help you out, here are some questions that can help:
- What’s the story I’m telling myself? What is my current lens?
- How does this lens help me and how does it get in the way? (Try to actually articulate this. I can be super helpful!)
- What are my default lenses I jump to without even knowing?
Step Three: Try on a different lens
So how do you pick a more helpful lens without resorting to toxic positivity or just turning a frown upside down?
Here are some great questions to ask yourself:
- How can I view the situation differently?
- What’s one small step I can do to change something?
- What other right answers are available to me?
Our core value of Occhiolism can be super helpful here. There are endless perspectives to explore!
One of Dewitt’s favorite ways to change his lens is gratitude, and he shared this great practice with us to start the day with this lens!
Gratitude and Noticing What’s Right
Most mornings before he opens his eyes, Dewitt pauses to notice that he can hear. He pays attention to what the bed feels like. He asks himself what he can smell. Then, he opens his eyes and acknowledges that he can see.
(We also love this video on practicing gratitude in your everyday life!)
As Dewitt says, focusing on what’s right gives us the energy to fix what’s wrong. It’s not just a nice way to live, and it’s definitely not sticking our heads in the sand or ignoring problems. It’s about sustainability and keeping our cups full so we can make a contribution.
Starting the day with this appreciation of the senses is a great way to practice gratitude!
“Is dis makes it better?”
We love this addition to our favorite lens metaphor, not only because it’s so catchy, but because it provides an extra handy marker: when to change your lens, and how to know you’ve got a lens that’s working for you.
If you can’t see well, if you’re struggling or uncomfortable, try a new lens and ask, “Is dis makes it better?”
