Episode 935: Choose the Lens You Want to See the World Through (Classic Podcast)

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Official BNI Podcast

Episode 935: Choose the Lens You Want to See the World Through (Classic Podcast)
Host: Dr. Ivan Misner
Guest/Co-host: Priscilla Rice
Date: November 5, 2025

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Episode Overview

This “classic” rebroadcast features Dr. Ivan Misner reflecting on how the mindset—or “lens”—through which we view the world can fundamentally affect our experiences, relationships, and business success. Drawing on personal stories, professional observations, and BNI wisdom, Dr. Misner emphasizes the importance of consciously choosing positivity, reframing challenges, and surrounding oneself with the right people. The episode is full of practical advice and powerful reminders that “words matter.”

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Perspective

• Metaphor of the Lens:
  Dr. Misner uses his love of astronomy as a metaphor, sharing how different telescope filters/lenses reveal different things in the night sky, directly relating this to how people experience the world.

  • “The lens that we choose to see the world through can greatly influence the things that we see and experience.” — Dr. Ivan Misner [01:28]

• Real-life Application:
  Two people can have the same experience but interpret it vastly differently based on the mental lens they use.

  • “You can sit at the same table, eat the same meal, and be worlds apart if you see the world through a different lens.” — Dr. Ivan Misner [01:26]

2. The Impact of Words

• Shaping Reality through Language:
  Misner underscores how the words we use internally and with others shape our reality.

  • “What you say about your world experience helps determine the world that you live in and the people you attract into your network, into your BNI group.” — Dr. Ivan Misner [02:00]

• From ‘Busy’ to ‘Full Life’:
  He consciously reframes “busy” as having a “full life,” focusing on abundance and joy, not overwhelm.

  • “You can be busy or you can have a full life. Having a full life is a goal worth pursuing, and having a full life brings me joy.” — Dr. Ivan Misner [02:26]

3. Managing Negativity & News Consumption

• Microdosing the News:
  Misner highlights the mental toll of constant negativity, especially from news media, and describes his personal strategy:
  • “I now microdose the news. I can stay up on what's going on without hearing or viewing all the vitriolic opinions that are being pitched as the news.” — Dr. Ivan Misner [03:13]

4. Reframing Major Life Events

• Diagnosis and Identity:
  After being diagnosed with cancer, Misner intentionally described it as being “diagnosed with cancer” versus “having cancer,” carefully separating circumstance from identity.

  • “It was my diagnosis. It was not who I was.” — Dr. Ivan Misner [03:59]

• 2020 and ‘The Great Pause’:
  Instead of “lockdown” or “quarantine,” Misner dubbed the COVID-19 year as “The Great Pause.” He observed that those who embraced this mindset fared better emotionally.

  • “While everyone was talking about being in lockdown or quarantine, I spoke about experiencing the Great Pause in life... How people respond to the Great Pause made a tangible difference relating to their experience and their life.” — Dr. Ivan Misner [04:19]

• Coping with Personal Loss:
  On losing his wife, he chose to respond to inquiries about his well-being with phrases like “one day at a time” or “putting one foot in front of the other.” This, he says, helped him move forward rather than remain stuck.

  • “Feeling horrible was true, but I also believed that living in that mental space would not help me get through those horrible times.” — Dr. Ivan Misner [05:04]

5. Fear: Frozen or Focused

• How to Respond to Fear:
  “People get frozen by fear or they get focused by fear. I propose that all of you listening… get focused by fear. Focus on a lens that will help you see through the fog of chaos that surrounds you and look for possibilities, look for the positive…” — Dr. Ivan Misner [06:17]

6. Who’s in Your Room: Surrounding Yourself with the Right People

• Engines vs. Anchors:
  Misner stresses the importance of surrounding oneself with “engines”—people who drive you forward—instead of “anchors” who bring you down.

  • “If all you do is focus on the problems, you're going to be an expert at problems. You also have to focus on solutions.” — Dr. Ivan Misner [08:25]
  • “Surround yourself with engines, people who drive you forward, who make you a better person. Not anchors, people who are trying to bring you down.” — Dr. Ivan Misner [08:43]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “What you put in your head shows up in your world, whether you're talking about an abundance mentality versus a scarcity mentality, the law of attraction, or the glass being half full. Words matter.” — Dr. Ivan Misner [02:08]
• “The lens you choose makes all the world of difference: in astronomy and in the world of people and business.” — Dr. Ivan Misner [09:58]

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Key Timestamps

• [01:24] Choosing your lens; astronomy analogy
• [02:00–02:26] The importance of words and reframing “busy”
• [03:00–03:20] Microdosing the news
• [03:59–05:10] Reframing identity and loss; “Great Pause;” coping with grief
• [06:17] Fear: freeze or focus
• [08:25–08:43] Solutions vs. problems; “Engines not anchors”
• [09:58] Final thoughts on the power of perspective

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Takeaways for Listeners

• The way you perceive and describe your world greatly determines your experiences and relationships.
• Consciously choose a positive, solution-oriented lens—especially in challenging times.
• Words and self-talk have real consequences; practice reframing for better results.
• Limit exposure to negative influences, including news and negative people.
• Surround yourself with people who energize and uplift you (“engines”), not those who drag you down (“anchors”).

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Listener Call to Action:
Dr. Misner invites feedback:
“I’d like to hear about your lens or your filter that you see the world through… let me know what you think about this podcast. I appreciate it.” [09:58]

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Transcript

[A]

Hello, this is Priscilla Rice and I'm coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio. This week we're going to have a rebroadcast of one of our earlier classic podcasts. We hope you enjoy it, and thanks so much for listening. Episode number 7 11. Choose the lens you see the world through.

[B]

You're listening to the official BNI Podcast with BNI founder and Chief Visionary Officer, Dr. Ivan Meisner. Stay tuned for networking and referral marketing tips from the been called the father of modern networking, along with suggestions and insights into getting the most from your membership in the world's largest networking organization, bni.

[A]

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the official BNI Podcast. I'm Priscilla Rice and I'm coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkeley, California. And I'm joined on the phone today by the founder and the Chief visionary officer of BNI, Dr. Ivan Meisner. Hello, Ivan, how are you and where are you?

[B]

Well, I've recently been to BNI Greater China, where I did a live event, and BNI uk. So opposite ends of the World, and both are absolutely fantastic. We have great members and directors in both of those areas.

[A]

Oh, man, that's wonderful. And tell me what you're planning to talk to us about today.

[B]

Yeah, so I'm talking about choosing the lens that you see the world through. You know, two people can sit in a room at the same table, have the same meal at the same time, and be worlds apart. You may say how, but it's because they look at the world through a different lens. I love astronomy. I took an astronomy course in college and I've learned that by choosing different lenses or filters for my telescope, I can literally observe different things in the night sky by just changing the lens. The things I view can appear or disappear before my very eyes. Objects can be overwhelmingly bright and painful to view, or they can be a beautiful sight to behold. And I believe our lives are similar. The lens that we choose to see the world through can greatly influence the things that we see and experience. Years ago, I realized that I needed to evict people from my life because the lens that they viewed the world through were negative. The lens was negative, fearful, hurtful, and sometimes caustic. It was not the lens I chose to view the world through. The first thing I realized when I came to this conclusion was that words matter. What you say about your world experience helps determine the world that you live in and the people you attract into your world or into your network, into your BNI group. What you put in your head shows up in your world. Whether you're talking about an abundance mentality versus a scarcity mentality, the law of attraction, or the glass being half full, words matter. The most common example of this from my life involves being busy. I talk to so many people who say, oh, you must be so busy, Ivan. I no longer say yes to that question. Priscilla. Today I say I have a full life. You can be busy or you can have a full life. Almost everyone says that their life is busy, but busy shouldn't be a goal worth pursuing. If it were everyone's goal, then most individuals would be happy. And that's not what I see with most people. Having a full life is a goal worth pursuing, and having a full life brings me joy. Words truly matter. I know, and I've talked about this in previous podcasts. I now microdose the news. I don't understand why negative news sells, but it does. And frankly, it's no longer a news program. It's most often an opinion program. Why do we watch something that continually, continuously makes our blood boil? I quit. I microdose the news through apps on my phone so I can stay up on what's going on without hearing or viewing all the vitriolic opinions that are being pitched as the news. Back in 2012. I've talked about this in my podcast before I was diagnosed with cancer, but I haven't talked about this. I. I never really told people I have cancer. I always said I was diagnosed with cancer. It was my diagnosis. It was not who I was. It was. It took a while. It took a while. But now, rather than say I'm in remission, I prefer to say I'm healthy. I'm healthy. Words matter. 2020 brought this out more clearly than ever for me. While everyone was talking about being in lockdown or quarantine, I spoke about experiencing the Great Pause in life. Mm. And I've talked about that on the podcast. The pause button was pushed on all of our lives for over a year. I found that how people respond to the Great Pause made a tangible difference relating to their experience and their life. Those people who learned how to embrace that mentality when possible were much happier than those who were mired in the horror of the situation that we're all part of. My wife passed away. My wife of 31 years passed away in 2020. It would have been easy to say that I was horrible when people asked how I was doing, but instead I tried to reframe that grief I was experiencing into something that would allow me to have a different Worldview. I'd answer friends and associates by telling them that it's one day at a time for me or I'm putting one foot in front of the other each day. Feeling horrible was true, but I also believed that living in that mental space would not help me get through those horrible times. So one day at a time, one foot in front of the other, was the lens I chose to focus on. So it allowed me to do my best to move forward. And I think this is important even when you feel horrible. Words matter. We live in fearful times, and I've learned that people get frozen by fear or they get focused by fear. I propose that you, all of you listening to this podcast, get focused by fear. Focus on a lens that will help you see through the fog of chaos that surrounds you and look for possibilities, look for the positive, look for how to reframe your situation so you can deal most effectively with the hand that you've been dealt. Choose the lens that you see the world through. And always remember that words matter. That's my message for today, Priscilla.

[A]

That's a great message, Ivan. You've gotten so wise in the last few years.

[B]

What's all the gray hair?

[A]

Yeah, I choose to be a positive thinker as much as possible. And I know that you can be really influenced by the people around you, and it's kind of tough if there are people that see things and talk about things in a negative way a lot. It's difficult.

[B]

Yeah. And, you know, I think it's important, and I said this in a recent podcast, that it's not just about. It's not that you can't recognize problems. It's important to recognize problems, but you've got to also focus on the solutions. If all you do is focus on the problems, you're going to be an expert at problems, but you also have to focus on solutions. And so who's in your room? The book I wrote is definitely a book that focuses on surrounding yourself with the right people, surrounding yourself with engines, people who drive you forward, who make you a better person. Not anchors, people who are trying to bring you down. Wow, is that not true? In a B and I chapter, you want members who are engines, who are. Who help you be your best self, who make you a better person, not anchors who are constantly trying to bring you down. And whenever I saw that, when I was a member of bni, when I started it, when I started to grow B and I as an organization, and today, more than ever, as the founder and Chief Visionary officer, I want to surround myself with engines, not anchors. And I want to see the world through a lens of people who are helping me be my best self, not helping to bring me down, because they've got their own problems and issues and they won't look for positive ways to address them.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Well, that's everything I have for today, Priscilla, unless you have something you want to add.

[A]

No, I think you've said it so well.

[B]

So if you've listened to this podcast, I'd love to hear your thoughts. As I've said many times, I read every single message that goes up on BNI podcast, and I'd like to hear about your lens or your filter that you see the world through. Because I think that lens makes all the world of difference. And it's true in the physical world with astronomy and my telescope, and it's true in the world of dealing with people and connecting with people. That lens you choose makes all the difference in how you view your surroundings. So let me know what you think about this podcast. I appreciate it. Back over to you, Priscilla.

[A]

Okay, well, I can tell you that I think it's great. So that's it for this week. We have a new sponsor for our podcast, and it is meisneraudioprograms.com these audio programs will provide you with the tools and the inspiration to powerfully enhance your B and I experience and help you boost your business. Whether you are a new or a seasoned member, these audio programs will help you unlock the power of networking. So check out the great material available to [e-mail] and use the promo code IVAN5O for 50% off all the audio programs. All of the proceeds will go to the BNI Foundation. So thank you so much for listening. This is Priscilla Rice, and we look forward to having you join us again next week for another exciting episode of the official BNI Podcast.

[B]

Sam.