How do I change to a positive perspective?

I try to start improv scenes 'positively'. I try to experience my life from a positive perspective. I've always been an optimist. But 'bad things happen' even to an optimist. When bad things happen - I use this exercise to changing my point of view.

Negative to Positive

Reflect for a moment on something that has happened in your own life in the past week that has been 'negative'. Briefly reflect on your negative story. Write down the basic details. As you write - include the facts of the event.

THEN! Try this challenge: Reframe your experience - and write your story from the perspective that it was a positive experience. Look for the good, the learning, or the opportunity that could come from the experience.

If the challenge is too great - or the negative experience is too negative. Ask for help. Ask a friend, family member, or teacher to help you view your experience from a positive perspective.

Here is an example from my life.

Negative Point of View.

Recently I spent about $120 to renew my CLEAR CARD Membership. CLEAR is a company that vets its members for security purposes - CLEAR had kiosks at airports - by using my CLEAR Card - I could arrive at the airport just 35 minutes before my flight and bypass security The economic down-turn caused the CLEAR company to go broke. Clear closed down last night (11pm, June 22, 2009). I wasted $120. I won't get that back from the company. I now need to arrive at the airport over an hour before flights. I have this photo I.D. card - that is a useless piece of plastic to add to the landfill.

Positive Point of View.

How could this be a good thing? What can I learn from this experience? If the economic downturn is effecting new companies like CLEAR - perhaps there is a lesson that I could be even more frugal in these times. I can still 'write off' the CLEAR card membership on my 2010 taxes. I can take more time arriving at the airport early - allowing me time to reflect - think - write a blog - or people watch. When I consider the people who were working for CLEAR - I realize they are all out of work. I am reminded of how fortunate I am to have work in these times.

By doing this exercise the facts have not changed. My perspective about the facts are changed. I have shifted from feeling foolish to have lost $120... to being thankful that I have work.

Why am I still improvising?

Why am I still improvising?  Because I love it.  

The better question might be - what keeps improvisation engaging after so many years.  I've spent years teaching and performing improvisation for the theatre. Years spent in inquiry - asking "does this work? Is this worth doing? Is this worth seeing? Is this working?"  Maybe that is what makes improv so compelling; because I still have questions.  

I was in an improv show recently that left me floating. The rehearsal process had been daunting. After one rehearsal a of my cast-members said, "We're doing a LOT".  We were trying a brand new format - we had a big cast - we had loads of stylistic elements and varying points of view and I wondered if we'd taken on too much.  We had two performances. The first night was great... the second night it was astonishing.  During a final scene I was in the wings with several members of the cast... we were leaning toward the stage - our ears straining to hear each word and sound - my eyes met the eyes of a cast member and she shook her head almost imperceptively and mouthed, "This is amazing".  During the curtain call - I was beaming - I took the sweaty hands of my cast-mates for our final bow - we bowed together - and exited to the wings where we jumped up and down and hugged and congratulated each other.  After the show, the joy and amazement in the theatre were nearly palpable. Members of the cast and audience stood and talked in the house of the theatre for an hour after the curtain went down and the house manager had to turn off the lights and chase us out.  Sometimes improv really works.

I've had moments, scenes, shows, where it works and I think, "I've got it".  But the next time - I try "it" - "it" doesn't work at all. The elusive quality of success in improvisation is part of what keeps improv intriguing to me.

Show: Playwright Superscene May 8 and 9, 2009 BATS Improv