A Different View: The Power of Perspective

At the time of this post, I am gearing up for a big week. In fact, by the time that most of you see this post I will be celebrating the fifteen year anniversary of Jamelle Sanders International LLC. For those that have been with me on this journey, you know that this journey has not been easy. So many people see my life today and assume that my success has been overnight. However, those that know me best will tell you that I have faced more adversity than you will ever know. I have been laughed at, mocked, criticized and I was even told that I would not succeed. Yet I am still standing fifteen years later with a global footprint and and my life's work continues to resonate with people around the world. If anyone can tell you a thing or two about perspective, I certainly can provide some insights on why perspective is so important. Honestly, in some of the most difficult moments of my life I have leaned on the pillar of faith, my uncommon paradigm and my empowered perspective. I hope these insights will inspire you in your pursuit of the life that you have been born for!

1. Understand that hope is not a strategy. Over the years, I have experienced my share of pain, disappointments and failures. While many people will attempt to cheer you up and tell you that everything is going to get better, the reality is that things do not just get better. In order for your life to change, you are going to ultimately have to change. Often we are the greatest barrier to embracing a life of breakthrough. Most people spend a lifetime hoping and praying that their lives will get better. If you know me, then you know I am an optimist and I believe in having hope and faith. At the same time, I also believe in being realistic and being honest with yourself. If you have been deceived into believing that hope is a strategy, I want to let you know right now that you are sadly mistaken. You can have all the hope in the world but that will not change your life. You can speak positive words and think positive thoughts. At the end of the day, it will take more than hope and positive thinking to produce a better life. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. A sick heart produces hopelessness and despair. Hope cannot be your strategy. Hope must support your life strategy.

2. Being hopeful does not exempt you from hard times. People look at my life today and they marvel. On the outside everything looks wonderful. On the other hand, if you were able to look on the inside, you would see all the battles I had to fight and all the wars that I had to win in order to become the person that I am today. People see my victories but they cannot see my valleys. In addition, people see my triumphs but they are not aware of my trials. I am a hopeful and optimistic person. That has not exempted me from hard times. My business almost collapsed on three different occasions, I have had doors slammed in my face, I have had people tell me that I would fail and that I was too ambitious. This is a short list of some of the harsh things that have been said to me over the years. The point I am trying to make is that nobody is exempt from hard times. It is the hard times that shape our character, solidify our convictions and unlock our greatest potential. Ultimately, it is impossible to know what you possess and how powerful you truly are without hardships. Difficulties are not designed to destroy us. Difficulties are designed to develop our capacity for greatness.

3. Every experience in your life shapes your paradigm. If you have followed my work for any length of time, then you know that I am fascinated with the human mind. I've written thirteen books to date and every single book has included a component on the mind. What is that? Before I was the person that you know and love, I faced a myriad of challenges in my life. The only way I overcame those challenges was breaking out of low-level thinking and elevating my paradigm. What we often fail to realize is that every experience in your life is shaping your paradigm. Every paradigm has been forged and formed by life events, experiences, and how you interpret it all. Furthermore, every experience is sculpting how you think and how you see the world. We've often heard the phrase that we are changed by our experiences. Conversely, I want to expand this concept and say that we are often crippled by our experiences. As long as you are a prisoner in your mind, you will remain powerless in the moments of your life. Through the renewing of your mind you reclaim your power and script new possibilities for your life.

4. Perspective is not developed overnight. I am amused by the number of people that think that they can gain perspective without experience. How do you really gain perspective? Trials, tribulations, hardships, crises, contradictions and adversity are all tools that help you develop perspective. Personally, I have developed perspective by living. In this era of self-proclaimed experts and gurus, the problem is that people are offering advice but lacking experience. You cannot walk people through the darkest seasons of their lives with theories and hypothesis. No, in order to walk people through the most trying moments of their lives, you are going to have to tap into your experiences, extract wisdom and communicate lessons that will empower them to power through hard times and come out victorious on the other side. People are not interested in your theories and philosophies. People are interested in your experiences and your wisdom. We cannot teach what we do not know. Nor can we model what we have not lived. You gain experience by doing and becoming. If you really want to gain perspective, then you must learn to appreciate the journey, learn the lessons, gain the wisdom and allow everything that you experience in life to serve as a tool for your education and empowerment. As you develop perspective, you are ultimately discerning the limitless power and potential that lives on the inside of you.