About this quote

We spend most of our energy trying to fix external circumstances that are completely out of our control. You cannot change a difficult market or a bad hand of cards. But you can decide how you talk to yourself about these facts when you wake up in the morning. What if your biggest obstacle is actually just the lens you choose to look through? Changing your perspective takes hard, repetitive practice, but it is the only real lever you have.

When to use it

• After tearing his ACL during soccer practice, Mike stopped focusing on his lost season and decided to master his rehabilitation exercises instead.
• When Sarah failed her accounting exam, she did not quit her course; she chose to view the failure as a diagnostic tool for her study habits.
• During a stressful office restructuring, David stopped complaining about his new manager and actively looked for ways to make their communication more efficient.