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Every day we face challenging situations, whether it be regarding school, work, family, money, or relationships. These life stressors can take a toll on our lives. Shifting to a positive mindset changes your perspective. A change in perspectives is a game-changer.
Change in Perspective
Change in perspectives shifts the way we view our world. When you change the way you view the world, you change how you feel about it, too. “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change,” according to Max Planck. Let’s explore the importance of perspective.
Why is Perspective Important
Perspective gives you an edge in like. It helps you understand situations from other positions, to consider other beliefs, experiences, and viewpoints. This engenders better understanding and greater empathy. It reduces bias, judgment and reduces conflict. But first, stop comparing yourself to others.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Comparing apples to oranges is counterproductive. You are one-of-a-kind. Everyone is at a different point on the continuum of life. We all have different family trees, we all have a unique DNA. You may not be to play the piano, but you may excel in Math. Just be content with what you have.
Be Content for What You Have
Others may be born into a wealthy family and others are not. The trick is to be grateful for all the things that you have and not worry about what others have. Do the best you can with the gifts and talents that you have. We all have something that we are good at.
For example: one of my sisters is a commercial artist, and she has won many contests. My other sister has a beautiful operatic voice. By the way, they are fraternal twins. My talent is that I am empathetic, and I help people solve problems. I am a mental health clinician.
What Happens When You Step Outside Your Perspectives?
When you change the scenery and do something (take a swim, take a walk (in comfortable shoes), put on your favorite music, or call your bestie helps you actively separate from the negativity. This refreshes your mind to help you have a fresh clean frame of mind. Perspective is a psychological mind shift.
What is the Psychology of Perspective Change?
Changing perspective means rewiring the medial frontal gyrus part of the brain. That red spongy part is known as the seat of the self. It means altering our behaviors and cognition to separate our sense of self from stress. This becomes an effective method for coping with different sources of stress and anxiety (psychologycompass.com). Next, it’s time to level-up.
Step Back and Level Up
If you find yourself barely able to come up for air during a busy week, your perspective will be a breath of fresh air. It will help you shed some unnecessary worries in the process. It will let you see opportunities you might otherwise miss. The benefits of perspectives are far and wide.
Benefits of a New Perspective.
Changing your perspective has a profound impact on your life. It can alter the way you perceive yourself, others, and the world around you. This leads to more positive experiences and outcomes. Changing your thinking allows you to focus on the good, elevate your mood, and bring you to new creative solutions. Here are a few benefits you notice as you change your perspective:
- Increased resilience
- Improved relationships
- Embrace “and” Thinking
- Focus on what matters
Increase Your Resilience
When you change your perspective, you can see setbacks and challenges as opportunities for growth and learning, rather than as insurmountable obstacles. This helps you develop resilience, and you bounce back from difficult situations.
Improves Your Relationships
When you shift your perspective, you see others in a more compassionate and empathetic light. This improves your relationships and helps build stronger connections with others.
Have you ever experienced what life is like for people who are underprivileged. Many of them appear happy despite their daily hardships. They are content with what they have. When they occasionally receive food and clean water they are thankful and elated.
On the other hand, many of us have an abundance and are still unhappy. Being able to understand someone else’s perspective is a great gift. It helps us grow as a person and never take things for granted. Let’s get into a macro level mindset.
Think from a Macro Level
Broadening your perspective beyond the immediacy of your current situation can help clarify things. It makes the situation seem more workable. This is something comedian Jerry Seinfeld knows all too well. He I s known for looking at pictures of outer space behind the scenes of his TV show Seinfeld. It helps calm his nerves in the writer’s room.
The Micro Level Mindset is Harmful
Thinking from a micro perspective can be harmful. We get stuck on worrying about trivial stuff such as why didn’t mom forget to me, or how come the mailman is late. Try to focus on the bigger picture. It is easier to NOT sweat the small stuff. If you find the vastness of time and space overwhelming, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has some words of advice:
Shift Your Perspective
Teaching yourself to think from a more positive outlook helps you surmount life’s challenges. The key is to reframe your thoughts and mental attitude toward things. For example: Instead of saying “I have to clean the house, you say “I get to clean the house.” This makes the task less of a chore, and you are grateful that you have a home to clean. This the power of Perspective. Changing perspective is everything.
Tweak and Change Your Thoughts
Life’s challenges can become more manageable if you master the art of “tweak and change” perspective. Let’s get serious and take the next step. Be optimistic and develop your positivity skills. See the glass as half full instead of empty. Embrace positive thinking. Connect with positive people.
Embrace “And” Thinking.
‘And” thinking is recognizing that different ideas can coexist – even if those ideas seem contradictory at first. This type of thinking helps you explore the gray areas of life. Stay focused on what matters most.
Focus on What Matters
Although perspective has to do with angle, perspective also has to do with distance.
- Practice seeing events as neutral
- See it from someone else’s point of view
- Distance yourself from negativity
- Manage your expectations
- Embrace Change
- Stop Comparing
Changing Perspectives
By changing perspective, we gain greater insights and gain deeper happiness. Changing perspective is a healthy exercise if we want to be empathetic, rational, and more compassionate. However, changing perspective is not merely about seeing things from the point of view of another. It is healthy exercise that reduces bias, judgment and reduces conflict. Be perspective-minded at work.
Five Steps to Gain Perspective at Work
We have days when nothing seems to dovetail, and you are at the breaking point. This is the best time to step back and shift into a new mindset. Perspective allows you to gain clarity and get a grip on life. Here is Forbes 5-Step plan to gain perspective.
- Stop and walk away from what you are doing: Physically leave the location if possible. This will give your mind a break that it deserves, you are not abandoning your responsibilities.
- Fight the Inclination to Ruminate on what you are doing: Instead, allow yourself to think freely. Try to stop thinking about your work. Dismiss thinking about your work. Let it go. Think about something you enjoyed earlier (Employee Appreciation Day). Engage in thoughts about going on a cruise with your family.\
- Return to the task and think big picture: Remind yourself that everything is okay. A little down time helps put you in a better state of mind. You can move forward again. If you are working on a new employee manuals of company rules and regulations, ask yourself, “What is the goal?”
- Reach out to colleagues: Connecting and collaborating with colleagues is a great way to gain new perspective. Leadership is not developed in a vacuum. You need to share insights with others who may see things differently. Difference and diversity of thought helps you see the task on hand more clearly. You don’t have to tackle thorny issues on your own.
- Refocus on the work: Use the thoughts and ideas of others to reframe how you are thinking about the work you are doing. These ideas help you see things from a different angle. Leaders use new information and knowledge to be better and gain clarity on their work (forbes.com).
Conclusion
Shifting your perspective isn’t an easy task for sure. However, there is an array of tips to help you navigate the process. Perspective in everything in life. Your perception and realities drive your decision-making, thought processes and your actions. Perception is the difference in seeing things and seeing things in a particular way.
Your perspective defines your outlook and understanding of the world around you. Can you share how your perspectives changed your life? I look forward to some amazing conversation with you. Feel free to leave your comments below and I will be glad to return a message.
Rachele, Founder
w: mybluegenes.com
e: rachele@mybluegenes.com