One of the most underrated elements in shaping our worldview is the power of perspective. How do we compare ourselves to others? Are we viewing our current position through an emphasis on all that we're missing or all that we're fortunate enough be? I've decided to ask my good friend Lewis Howes to share his own narrative with the topic. He's the host of one of the world's top podcasts, "The School of Greatness," and his new book by the same title provides a framework for achieving real, sustainable, repeatable success. Lewis take it away!
As a kid, I felt like the biggest loser in the world.I had no friends, my brother was sent to prison for selling drugs to an undercover cop, my parents fought all the time, and I did horribly in school because I was dyslexic.There were definitely a few times I remember sitting in the school principal’s office telling him I wished I were dead.I know. Not cool at all, but that’s where I was at in my life.Then I found sports, my saving grace, and channeled all my anger and sadness into the athletic field. I grew up. My body got stronger. I developed skills. I won some awards and broke some records. I even achieved my dream of playing pro-football in the Arena Football League.And then I smashed my wrist into a wall during a game and my sports career came to a sudden end. I was broke, injured, and staying on my sister’s couch for the next 18 months, depressed.I felt like a loser again.Then I found a new career, as an entrepreneur, and I made money, moved to NYC, and found a new sport, Team Handball, that I loved. I was an athlete again.One day, during a practice with The USA National Team I wasn’t having a great day. My legs were burning, I was out of breath, I was in pain. I didn’t want to be there.Then I looked behind me and I saw that we were sharing the other side of the court with another team practicing basketball. But this wasn’t an ordinary team. It was a team all in wheelchairs, incredible athletes hustling their hearts out - and they couldn’t even use their legs.In that moment, I realized that my perspective was my choice. I could be miserable about the physical pain I was in, or I could be so grateful for my body, my legs, my talents, my opportunities, my business, my life.That day was one of many where I learned something powerful.
As I follow my passion for greatness, and helping others achieve theirs, I see this over and over again. The people with the brightest minds and biggest hearts choose to see things in a powerful, positive perspective. That is what opens the way for them to create massive impact.This is one of the reasons I love being involved with Pencils of Promise and connecting with Adam as well. I’m always reminded of how blessed we are and all of the amazing things I have had when I’m constantly working towards helping solve the illiteracy challenge for the youth of our world.In The School of Greatness, as I like to call it, I’ve learned a big lesson: your perspective is your choice. And your choice makes all the difference in what you will create in this world.How do you choose to see the world?
