Rose Coloured Glasses
by Linda Pizzale (May 2005, Women with Vision)

It was Anne’s turn to share her perspective. We were all seated around the table for the board of directors’ yearly planning session, and the meeting’s facilitator wanted to hear everyone’s views about the past year with the association. Anne and I were both members of the board and had joined the association at the same time. I was particularly looking forward to hearing her input as I was certain she and I had shared similar experiences.

Anne began by expressing some of her challenges over the last year and then offered some ideas to improve the role for the coming year. What I remembered most, however, was Anne’s surprise revelation of her disappointment in the members’ treatment of her. She voiced her frustration about the lack of mentorship and how she often felt like she didn’t fit in. She continued by saying that she didn’t believe anyone showed any interest in helping her with her challenges and was resigning from the board. I was taken aback even more when Anne added that she wasn’t sure if she would even renew her association membership.

“How could this be?” I thought. “How could Anne have had such a bad experience?” We both attended the same meeting every month and encountered the same people. We listened to the same speakers and had the same information presented to us. Yet somehow, Anne’s perspective about her experience with the association was an entirely negative one. I, on the other hand, had had a wonderful experience. Not only did I find support and mentorship on the board of directors and within the association, my fellow members appeared to be very interested in me and always ready to lend a helping hand. I truly felt like part of the group and was confident that I was making a valuable contribution. There was no doubt in my mind that I would continue in my role on the board and I fully intended to renew my membership for another year. I suspect that after hearing Anne’s and my perspectives at the planning session, the facilitator was feeling somewhat confused. Which experience portrayed the true reflection of the association’s culture and climate?

So … how can two people in similar circumstances have such different experiences in life? I personally like to imagine that some of us walk through life wearing Rose Coloured Glasses. Let me explain what I mean. I believe that we have a choice every day about how we see the world around us, and that there are endless opportunities for us to see the “positive” in people, places, and things. How we choose to deal with situations, even those we consider “bad,” will have a great impact on how we feel and what kind of experience we will have.

I, for one, choose to see the world through rose coloured glasses. In other words, I prefer to see things from a joyful, rosy perspective. Instead of focusing on what is wrong with a situation and looking through “dark coloured glasses,” I put my attention on what is right. I practice looking at others in the way that God looks at them … in their greatness. Sure, there are occasions when I am tempted to switch lenses, for although it is relatively easy to focus on the positive aspects of things you like and the people you enjoy, it is not always so easy with things you don’t enjoy or people you don’t like.

Maybe, this is what happened with Anne. Rather than donning rose coloured glasses, she chose to wear dark glasses. This might explain how two people can be at the same association, participating on the same board of directors, and yet each has a different experience. It has always been my experience that when I wear my rose coloured glasses and interact with others, the interaction is much more gratifying.

I invite you to try wearing rose coloured glasses as you walk through your life. You will see that when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change. That’s a promise!