Is that the ONLY way to see it?

I've been doing a lot of perspective work with my clients recently and it's been a good reminder that the way we see the world is just one possible way to see it and interpret it.

I remember when I was in my 20s and acting, I went through a phase where I really felt like I was failing as an actor because I wasn't getting any roles that I liked. I was sucking at my auditions, I thought, and probably needed to lose weight and learn how to sing and dance.

I believed that the way I saw the world was "the truth." It was "reality." And I remember hearing someone talk about how I was just seeing things through a very negative perspective and if I shifted the way I looked at things they would change.

"Sure," I said, rolling my oh-so-wise-20-something eyes, "thinking I'm not sucking will make the auditions roll in."

I wish now I had at least given it a try.

When we get stuck in a perspective, it tends to influence everything from the thoughts we think to the beliefs we choose to govern our relationships to the actions we take (or don't take). Like a pair of blinders or a dirty window, it impacts the opportunities we are able to see and limits us in our problem-solving.

And it can be (annoyingly) simple to get out of a perspective -- simply try on a new one and see what you can see.

For example, imagine that you're looking for a new job (as it seems so many people are these days). If your current perspective is "I'm not qualified" or "I'm not good enough," you're not going to take risks, network comfortably, or even apply for jobs that are actually in your wheelhouse. But if you can switch to something just 10% better like "I'm as qualified as anyone else" or "I'm as good as anyone else," opportunities start to shift a little. And if you can push the needle and get yourself to see things from a perspective of "I'm totally qualified" or "I'm ideal for this kind of work," you might be surprised to see what changes.

And by the way, you don't have to believe the new perspective 100%. You just have to try it on long enough to do some option planning and goal setting. See how long you can wear it and still feel like you.

Don't feel like you can pull it off? That's cool. I can help you shift that perspective. Just give me a call.