"We're having a heatwave, a Mojave Desert heatwave"

My apologies to the songwriter who wrote the original, popular version of my modified lyrics. For most of the past week (or more) our daytime temperatures have been over 105 degrees and several days over 110 degrees. These temperatures are expected for another week before it cools down. This may be typical if I lived in the desert, but I live in northern California, about 200 miles northeast of San Francisco. Our summers are frequently hot (averaging about 98 degrees), but not this hot or for this long.

You didn't come to this page to read a weather report. For many people when they find out that our average summertime temps are 98 degrees, they begin to wilt while asking, "How do you stand the heat?" For me it's a matter of perspective. After enduring 105 to 113 degrees, 98 feels comfortable. Each spring when we first hit temperatures in the 90's, my wife and others complain about how hot it is, and I smile to myself knowing that in the coming months that temperature will feel cool compared to the Mojave Desert blast that may come. It's all a matter of perspective.

In most areas of my life changing perspective is beneficial. Recently, I was called for jury duty. After checking in at 8 a.m., I (and the other prospective jurors) sat and sat and sat. After about an hour, I was getting irritated. "Don't they know my time is being wasted sitting here. I could be making sales that go to pay their salaries." The more I thought about it, the madder I became. From looking at the others, they were also upset. I heard someone say "How long are we going to sit here?"

About that time, one of the county staff entered the waiting room. "Thank you for your patience. I apologize for the delay; the judge and the attorney's are meeting on the only case that we may empanel today. After they are finished, if they still need a jury, we'll move you into the court room." While I found the information helpful, the underlying message had a greater impact (and calming influence) for me. The court system isn't about my being selected to be on the jury (or not) as quickly as possible; it's about the defendant receiving a fair opportunity to present his/her case. If I were the defendant, would I want it the process to go as fast as possible just so it's more convenient for the jury? I don't think so! My perspective change helped the next half hour go by with less anxiety.

When I feel upset about something happening in my life; I generally find that my perspective has narrowed to looking only at my needs, desires, and/or wishes. There are times when it's appropriate to put myself first; however, I generally subscribe to the Zig Ziglar theory "If I help enough people get what they want, I'll get what I want." for service in both my business and personal life. To regain my perspective, I perform two actions. One, I recite my blessings and express gratitude for my life. Second, I begin looking for examples of people who are in a worse situations. My intention isn't to make me feel superior, but to remind me that others are struggling more than I and maybe there's some way I can help him/her. These two actions help me to regain a sense of control and optimism.

Are there areas of your life where your focus is simply on you? Do you feel anxious, ignored or upset when others do what you want them to do? How do you resolve your anger? Rather than yelling at someone or punching something, change your perspective first and see how you feel after that.

It may be 108 outside, but I can enjoy it when I focus on the refreshing 98 degree day thats coming soon.