The Lens You See Life Through

There’s a reason I’m able to bounce back from the mistakes I’ve made and the traumas I’ve lived through — and it’s not because life’s been smooth. It’s because I’ve learned to see the world through a lens of optimism and opportunity. I’ve learned that the way you see life determines how you live it. The lens you look through can either magnify the problem or illuminate the purpose.

That’s not something that just happened overnight. Trust me, there were times when my lens was cloudy. I used to focus on what went wrong, who left, what I lost, and where I fell short. And when that’s all you focus on, that’s all you see. But I made a decision — a real decision — to start looking at life differently. I started to look at it through faith instead of fear, gratitude instead of grief, and purpose instead of pain.

I realized that life is always going to have challenges, but how I see them makes all the difference. When my lens is clear, I can see that even my toughest moments were teaching me something. That every delay had direction. That every disappointment had a deeper purpose.

And here’s another truth: sometimes the fog on your lens isn’t even yours — it’s from other people.

You have to be careful who’s talking into your dreams. Doubters will try to tell you why something won’t work before it even gets started. They’ll hand you their dirty glasses and say, “See? It’s not clear.” But that’s their vision problem, not yours!

That’s why I keep people in my life who speak life. People who remind me of what’s possible, who push me when I start shrinking, who pray with me when I feel weak.

I’ve also learned that optimism isn’t pretending everything is perfect — it’s choosing to believe something good can still come out of what wasn’t. Obstacles will come — that’s just life. But when you’ve trained your mind to see the good, those obstacles won’t look so big anymore. It’s seeing opportunity where others see obstacles. It’s saying, “Okay God, I don’t understand this season, but I trust You’re still working.”

The lens you look through determines everything. If you see the world through negativity, everything will look dark. But if you train your eyes to find the light — even just a flicker of it — that light will grow. So clean your lens, my friend. Adjust your focus. And get ready to see your world in a brand-new way. Because when you view life through optimism and opportunity, you don’t just bounce back — you bounce higher.

Here’s a few Reflection Questions to ask yourself:

1. What kind of lens are you viewing your life through right now — fear or faith?

2. Are you surrounding yourself with people who build your vision or blur it?

3. How can you begin to train your mind to look for the positive today?