Perspective is everything! How we look at things will completely shape how we perceive and react to the environment around us. Even when we look at the same thing at the same angle, we have new eyes each time and new experiences to shape the way we think about everything!

Do you have a “favorite spot?” It could be a favorite place to eat or a special vacation location you visit each year. Your favorite spot is a place you love to revisit over and over again. Now that you have this place in mind, ask yourself "why is it my favorite place to be?"

Is it that something special happened there years ago? Is it the place where you met the love of your life? Could it be where you made a very important decision that changed your life? Over the years, how have your experiences affected how you feel about this special place? Do you sit in the same seat or table each time? Are the same people with you?

All of these questions are to direct you to truly think about how you perceive the moments and experiences you have had in your "favorite spot." There is a really good chance it is not your favorite because of only one reason. And more often than not, it grows stronger in your mind due to multiple experiences over time. Your perspective of the world around you is a summation of all of the moments you have had in all places and situations you have ever been.

As an amateur photographer, I have found that a photograph can only be taken once. No matter how much I try to take the same exact photo from the same exact position, it is impossible to achieve the same photograph twice. Everything from the sun’s position, to how the wind might affect leaves on a tree, nothing is ever the same more than once. There is a certain beauty about that, actually. And it makes each photograph, and likewise each moment, a unique and quite important experience.

I believe photographs are one of the best examples of perspective. They capture a moment in time and allow us to truly analyze that particular moment. But there is a twist. Even looking at a photograph over and over again, your perspective is evolving. Despite the photograph never changing, our perspective on it is ever changing based on how we have changed.

Whether it be our favorite spot, or simply a photograph, how we look at something can change over time. I personally believe that is one of the most beautiful things about life. In fact, even the darkest of memories can be changed for the better over time. If we take all that we have learned over the years, and apply it as lessons learned, almost anything can be changed for the better.

The key is to find the positive in everything. With the exception of outside forces beyond our own control, almost anything within our own control can be twisted back into something good. That’s where perspective comes in handy. We just need to seek the perspective that gives us the best of everything.