Yesterday, when I went for a walk, I met my neighbor from next door. She was about two meters ahead, with her back to me.
She wore a thick beanie, a winter jacket, and a scarf around her neck. Yep, it’s gotten cold in Germany. Finally...
I greeted her with a soft hello, making sure I wouldn’t startle her.
No reaction.
So I tried again a little bit louder.
Nothing.
When she reached her car, she finally noticed me next to her. She smiled, pushed up her beanie, took out her in-ear headphones, and said hello.
Something was different.
We have been neighbors for five years.
Yesterday she seemed relaxed, like not being in a hurry and actually happy to see me.
For the first time.
In a way, she also seemed to be the person she always has been. Maybe she hadn’t changed at all.
Same same, but different, as they used to say in Thailand.
But what was really different that day?
What made me see her in a new light?
Well, the short answer is: my mindset changed.
Do you remember the gratitude ritual I wrote about in the previous part?
If not, you can find it here.
The Mindset Series - Part I
I never thought I would write an article about fixing your mindset. Not too long ago, that would have sounded like a cosmic joke to me.
I am doing this exercise now for 4 weeks plus and have actually forgotten to count the days. I guess the days don’t really matter, but doing the exercise consistently does.
Anyway... what amazes me is how much more perceptive my antennas got for the little life changes. It’s funny that often it seems like the outside world has changed, but then you realize that you started to see the world with different eyes.
Like how I experienced it with my neighbor.
The thing is, before that day, when people didn’t see or hear me, I thought that it must have been all my fault. Like I didn’t speak loud enough, that I may have caught them at the wrong moment, didn’t find the right words, or whatever on this planet could have possibly been my mistake.
My brain never disappointed and found all sorts of reasons why it was me.
Yesterday the story was different, though.