I have just got back from a wonderful break in the warmth and beauty of Indonesia. I find holidays are a great time to get perspective on one’s life.
PERSPECTIVE is one of the most powerful aspects of coaching. We all view our lives in a certain way and that perspective is often seen as our reality. What if we can change our perspective, can we then change the way we view our world? The answer is absolutely.
I believe what sets positive people apart from those who see the glass as half empty is they choose a positive energy-enhancing perspective, no matter what card life deals them. While we can’t change the essence of our reality – if we are going through a particularly challenging time in our lives we can’t just make the experience go away, but we can choose the way we see it. We always have a choice in how we view our world and people often forget this.
The coaching process assists in exploring different perspectives on what ever issue or challenge we are facing. From there we can choose the perspective we think will serve us best, and from that place we can look at what resources are available to us that will give us strength and confidence to move forward.
I am back in my reality now and know most of you are in yours as you read this, but remember you can always choose what perspective you want to be in. Life really is all about CHOICE and you don’t have to wait to go on holiday to get perspective, you can do it anywhere, anytime.
Try this simple exercise next time you are in a restaurant – switch places with the person opposite you and notice how different your experience is. The essence of your reality is still the same – you are both eating in the same restaurant, at the same time, at the same table but just by changing your outlook you will see the restaurant differently and notice things you hadn’t seen before.
Very good and so true… Sometimes the solution is right there in front of us and we fail to see the wood because of the trees. I particularly like a ‘helicopter’ approach as an analogy, similar to what you can play with on Google Earth, where you can rise in altitude above the complexity of the plain below (read your life) with its capillary mix of mountains, hills, roads, rivers, rail lines, streets, paths etc. (read problems & opportunities) to work out the best way forward over the surrounding terrain. The more effort you put into elevating your position, through hard work and positive commitment, the more you can see of your world by virtue of your now enhanced perspective the better the solution to whatever your personal predicament happens to be…