I wore a yellow dress to my mother’s funeral.It caused the wags of the relatives to whisper in disapproval but my mother had instructed me to wear it before she died. She knew I’d be sad and she wanted to remind me to be untroubled and lead a cheerful life like she had taught me.
So I stood before the congregation in that dress to deliver the eulogy and share stories of our happy family times together.
Why do I tell you this sad memory? It’s to remind me and suggest to you to choose the perspective you want to have as you maneuver through life.
All of life, on a daily basis, can tear you down — people, problems, politics. But as a thinking adult you choose the attitude and mindset that you want to have despite what’s going on around you.
Sometimes it requires putting on a “yellow dress” for the outside show as you work to manage the inside mindset.
I never wore that dress again but every time I see it hanging in my closet it reminds me to choose the positive perspective of life that is within my power. That choice is one thing that no one can take away from you — unless you let them.
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Benton is co-author of The Leadership Mind Switch (McGraw-Hill, 2017)
