When dealing with challenges, it is easy to overly focus on the problems at hand. We fail to put problems into the proper context within our lives. I think that this results in a world perspective that is quite small. This means that little things in our lives that could be considered problems are disproportionately large. Imagine a small perspective to be a shoebox. If you focus on even a few problems, this is like placing a couple bricks in the box. Not much room is left, is there? This is what happens when we are too focused on little things and fail to see any of the big picture.

By simply expanding our scale of perspective we can put problems back in their place, allowing for the fullness of our life to be present. Take a step back and realize that there are indeed great things happening in your life. Just because something is not to your liking now doesn’t mean it will always be that way. Imagine now that your shoebox has enlarged to the size of your kitchen. There’s a lot more room for the good things happening in your life now, isn’t there?

On the other end of the spectrum is allowing our scale of perspective to be too large. I think this is probably becoming more frequent as more and more kids and adults are becoming ‘world citizens’ and wanting to help everybody. For some, this means focusing on ALL of the problems in the world right now: war, disease, poverty, and anything else threatening humanity. An overly broad perspective can easily be overwhelming, leading to feelings of discouragement and even hopelessness as we search for meaning in a world that seemingly makes no sense.

Luckily I believe this is simply a matter of having too large of a perspective. By contracting it, we can adjust things back to their rightful proportions. Poverty is a big deal, but it shouldn’t outweigh your ability to see innocence in a child or beauty in a sunset. I used to let my inability to put everything in the world into order weigh me down enough that I could not see the good in my life. Luckily I got to the point that I “woke up” and changed my scale of perspective (although I didn’t realize I was doing this at the time).

Changing your scale of perspective doesn’t mean you are ignoring problems or running away from them. In contrast, you will be more at peace and better equipped to handle them. It simply puts things in proper perspective and allows you to deal with life in a more balanced and enlightened way. And don’t forget, even the largest problems can be solved with one step at a time.

That night, I was visiting other blogs reading about how we have no problems right now. This idea perhaps most famously comes from The Power of Now. I have held this belief as my own for some time now; whenever I have a “problem” I take a step back to remind myself that I am dwelling in the past (or future, depending on the situation) and that if I stay in the present moment I really don’t have a problem.

If you are new to this concept, think of it this way: right now, at this very moment, you have zero problems. Maybe your best friend sent you a mean text message, but that happened in the past. Maybe you have bills you have to pay next week, but that’s something in the future, something that doesn’t even exist yet. I have easily accepted this idea, except for the question that has been in the back of my mind, “What if something really is happening right now that is a problem?”

Sorry to be morbid, but what if I have a gun against my head or my family is being threatened physically? This is where the barking dog provides the answer (you thought I forgot about the dog, didn’t you). While I was reading the air conditioning turned off and I discovered that the dog had one impressive set of lungs. She was rather loud and for whatever reason felt the need to bark every 2-3 seconds. I wasn’t particularly annoyed (“The only problems I have are the ones I create,” I told myself), but I realized that the dog was there to help me answer my question.

The first part is a little more “obvious.” When the dog barks, I hear it, and have the option of getting annoyed or forgetting about it. The only way I can get annoyed, though, is by staying in the past, remembering the bark. If I stay in the present, the dog bark has no effect. Ok, but what about the fact that the dog keeps barking? This is the part I considered more of a revelation (for me). Even if the dog is barking right this instant, I should not find it to be irritating. Letting a single dog bark upset me would be a bit over the top, no? The only other way to get annoyed, then, is to anticipate more barking. This requires looking to the future! If I stay truly rooted in the now, each dog bark is simply a part of life to be experienced. And when the dog is in between barks, my only source of irritation would logically have to be from remembering the past and/or projecting it to the future.

So, in all honesty, it’s practically impossible to have a problem. When applied to the case of having a gun against my head, this may seem a bit naive, but I don’t see it that way. When situations arise that aren’t to our liking, it is our own choice whether we see them as a problem. And, if faced with a situation that is life threatening, a person deeply rooted in the now would react calmly and precisely. What happens happens, and what could happen is simply a projection of the mind.

Do you agree? Take some time to practice letting go of the past and avoiding predicting the future. See if this doesn’t eliminate most of your problems. If you start to get upset over something, ask yourself, “Am I staying in the present moment? Am I creating a problem for myself?” Let me know how it goes.