Ask This Question to Find Ease in Life's Challenges

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer

Sometimes life’s challenges can weigh us down. We can face health issues, financial strains or relationship struggles.  Simply doing our regular day-to-day activities can feel hard. But it doesn’t have to stay that way!  My go-to resource for any kind of stress is EFT Tapping.  You can read more about that here.

In times like this, I also like to stop what I’m doing and find a quiet place to think. I ask myself this question “What would this look like if it were easy?” and record my thoughts in a journal.  This is a question I picked up from the book Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World by Timothy Ferriss.  Pausing to reflect on this question helps to gain a different perspective on the situation and discover insights on what the next steps might be. 

Let’s say you are working on a home improvement project that is not going as planned.  You are stressed out and feel as if it will never be completed, or if it is finished, it will be a disappointment.  Stop and sit with a notebook and something to write with.  Get comfortable and relax.  Take a few slow, deep breaths.  Think about your vision for this project.  Look at the photos that inspired you to begin this in the first place.  Imagine your project is complete, just the way you want it. How will you feel?  Focus on that feeling. 

Now picture yourself doing the work to complete that project.  Your thoughts may drift to the things that have been difficult so far.  That’s okay.  This is a good time to ask the question “What would this look like if it were easy?”  Notice what thoughts come up and write them down.  Envision breaking the project down into smaller, manageable tasks or a series of mini projects.  Does that make this less overwhelming?  Imagine doing those smaller tasks.  If you run into anything that seems hard, ask the question again.  Is there someone you could ask for help?  Do you need to search for a simpler design?  Would hiring someone for a portion of the project be a solution?  If you get stuck somewhere in this process, you can always try my EFT Tapping video Life Feels Hard.

Asking the question “What would this look like if it were easy?” can be useful in many situations.  It can spark ideas that you might not have otherwise considered. 

What is something in your life that could benefit from a fresh perspective?