Wherever you go, there you are. – Anon
They say travel broadens your horizons, and from my experience it certainly can, but not always in the ways you might expect. I get to travel occasionally for my work, with the amazing benefits of meeting and interacting with whole new sets of people, seeing new and interesting places, and having brand new experiences.
Sometimes travel creates novelty in life, and sometimes it purely offers different view point: taking a short trip out of town recently with my family, I came back after just a few days more deeply appreciating my surroundings, my home, and my relationships with those I live with daily. My environment, house and family hadn't changed, but my perspective had.
So much of life is about our perspective, how we choose to see any particular situation. I liken it to the cliche of getting out of the wrong side of bed in the morning: if we see things as trouble, we seem to generate trouble to fit our theory.
Stepping out of our usual story about how things are (or should be) allows us to see what is truly present with fresh eyes and new options, whether or not the situation or conditions have actually changed.
Where could you use a new perspective?
What perspective will you choose?
Before specializing as a professional coach in 2004, I spent more than a decade in leadership, management and program development for state and local government and non-profit organizations. Now I get to help leaders and teams have more clarity and ability to stand up for what's important in their work and in their organizations. Working with me, leaders and teams find more meaning and purpose, feel happier and more confident, navigate change and conflict, and work together better.
Looking at things from the other side of a state govt. shut down certainly gives a different perspective! Hard to choose the “positive” side of that new perspective but I certainly am trying …
Sue, thanks for commenting. The place I might point you is to consider: what was the gift in the state government shut down? What’s the crazy wisdom you might harvest from the experience? I’d be curious to hear what you find there.
Hanna, it has taken awhile to try to figure out the gift … I needed to get past the feeling of being totally de-valued but I think I figured it out last night. I can now go home after work, relax with my dog, even just lay on the couch and do nothing, and not feel guilty that I haven’t done more or finished everything there is to do … and I’m thinking for me that is truly a gift!