Outlook (n)

A View: a pleasant view, a person’s point of view

If you were looking out on the street and saw -20 degree weather, ten feet of snow, and no sun, do you go running out?

If a small restaurant is tucked away in a small dark alley in a bad neighborhood, do you go in?

If you’re looking out onto a pristine white sandy beach, with beautiful crystal blue water, do you burst out the door in glee?

It seems quite clear, no to the first two, and yes to the second . . . but not so fast.  It all depends on your outlook.

To a kid, that freezing, snowy day is a day off from school and a sledding bonanza. To the food aficionado, that small restaurant could be the best dining experience they’ve ever had and an opportunity to discover and amazing new restaurant. To the pasty white person, who’s afraid of sharks and doesn’t like sand everywhere, there is nothing fun about that ocean paradise.

It’s not the environments that dictate anything, but rather our outlook.  It’s how we “look out” that makes the difference. We CREATE our own world through our outlook.

We can do little to change the environments we’re in, but we can for sure change how we look out at them. Change your outlook and you change your emotions and actions.

There is no profession in my opinion where outlook is more critical. Sales gives you plenty of cold days, mounds of snow, shark infested waters, and dark streets, but if you see them as a chance to surf, ski and eat some damn good food, all of a sudden it sounds like one fucking good time.

What are you looking out upon? What’s your outlook? What do you see? It determines everything.