One of the oldest medical realities is that, “Most things will be better by morning.” Is that really the truth? Well, no it's not; but the intention of the statement is to remind us all that how you look at what you see can affect the outcome. If you go to bed thinking you'll feel better in the morning, chances are you probably will. To me, this is a good example of being able to see beyond your current situation to a broader truth. It's what I like to call perspective.

Many years ago, an old Ojibwa Native American Chief said, “Sometimes I go about pitying myself, and all the while I'm being driven by great winds across the sky.” I love that line. Sit still with it a minute and see if it speaks to you.

Life lasts for more than one day, and those who learn to take the long view on things tends to be wiser and happier. If you get your knickers in a wicket every time something happens that you don't like, you end up making yourself, and everyone around you, miserable. The sky is not falling. Skies don't fall. If they did, they wouldn't be the sky.

I ask people all the time whether they're racing for the finish line, or are they racing for the starting line. That's a big question. Is our current world going through the end of things, or are we on the doorstep of a new beginning? There is no right or wrong answer. It's a matter of perspective: how you see what you see.

If there is one gift society's elders can pass on to the younger generations, it's this Gift of Perspective: the gift of wisdom. In an age where for many of today's youngsters, everything that's important is the here and now, perspective can add sanity. Yes, the present is hugely important. In fact, the only time you can make anything happen is right now. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. It's the youngest age you've got left.

But remember, this present moment is just one moment in a lifetime of accumulated moments, and that accumulation adds up to a lot more than here and now. There is a bigger picture, and the ability to see and appreciate that bigger picture is a gift that adds character and dimension to the life process.

When I look back at my own life, I inevitably recall those wonderful moments of comfort and security; I see my dad, his arm around my shoulder, helping me through whatever crisis or heartache I was going through at the time, saying, “Danny boy, I know you're hurting, but this isn't the end of the world.” And then, after many more comments he thought would help me get through that particular crisis, he would always end it by saying, “Danny boy, everything's gonna be OK.” And you know what? It was. To this day, I pass that on to my grandkids, and I can see them relax into those words of comfort. It's called perspective; the longer view of things. Pass it on and you'll live a long time in somebody's memory.