We do this with small events like the one above but we also do this with things that can lead to big changes in our lives.
A classic example from fiction is Scrooge in ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. At the beginning of the book, Scrooge was a greedy, cold-hearted man. But after being visited by the spirits, he decided to change.
He gave a new meaning to his life and became a generous, benevolent man full of Christmas spirit.
Anybody at any time can choose to give a new meaning to any situation in their life or even to life itself.
We all feel at the mercy of the events and circumstances in our lives, but we always have a choice as to how we react by giving them different meanings.
It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. Epictetus
This is probably the single most important thing that we can do if we want to change how we feel.