Marcus Aurelius tells me that my opinions are standing between me and peace of mind.
That’s framing. A particular situation (a task at work, for instance) can be seen as an obstacle or an opportunity.
How I see it—obstacle or opportunity—influences my mood, my energy in attacking the task, the types of solutions I envision.
Framing—my opinions—are disconnected from and external to the thing, situation, or person about which I have an opinion. My opinion about the weather doesn’t alter the weather one little bit. My opinion about the weather only affects my mood and my actions.
Until I can view life’s random events with equanimity, I had better be conscious of my opinions and the framing I impose on people, places, and things. And learn to discard harmful framing.