I had the most unexpected thing happen to me today. Instead of looking down, I looked up. And I was delighted by what I saw.

I went out for a quick bike ride, taking a break from the accounting and inventory I was doing. I was deep in thought, going over details in my head and worrying about the usual things. As I tried to get out of my head for a few seconds, I stopped looking at the road beneath me and turned my eyes upward.

Within a few minutes, I saw a bald eagle soaring across the sky, spreading its majestic wings. In the next five minutes, I saw a pair of yellow finches dancing in the air waves. The next time I looked up, there was a red glider. Then a monarch butterfly. Next, a fantastic pattern in the perfectly blue sky made by the jet wash of an airplane.

I felt inspired! Other people passed me, on walks or on their cell phones, not noticing anything I had seen. I simply changed perspective and in an instant I had adjusted my attitude.

So often, we spend time looking down. Figuratively, literally and metaphorically. We look down at other people. We look down at ourselves. We feel “down.” What would happen if we consciously tried to look up? There is a whole lot of stuff going on above us that we are missing!

This holiday weekend, many of us will already be looking up to see fireworks. Practice looking up the rest of the weekend too. You might be amazed at the treasures you see that were already there.

Try it. Let us know what you discover.

- Wendy Lutter
Empoword Co-Founder