Perspective is an immensely powerful thing. It is quite possibly one of the most powerful things in anyone's life. Not only is perspective a powerful thing, but the ability to maintain perspective is a phenomenally beneficial ability to possess.
According to the dictionary, perspective is defined as "a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something; a point of view". That definition is okay.
To me, perspective is seeing things as they actually are. Maintaining perspective is the ability to take a step back and remind yourself what really matters. It's the ability to get out from under whatever has you bogged down long enough to rethink, replan or change course.
We so often think of things as far worse than they actually are. Our minds create all kinds of scenarios that will almost certainly never actually happen. We psych ourselves out in the worst ways.
Maintaining perspective is the ability to take a step back and say, "Actually, things aren't as bad as they seem." It's the ability to keep things simple, to keep your eyes on the goal and to not get weighed down by all the unimportant stuff. You have no doubt heard of the "10 Year Test". It is sometimes called different things, but the premise is that when something bad happens or when things seem overwhelming, you need to ask yourself if these horrible things will matter in 10 days, 10 months, a year, or 10 years from now. It's about taking a step back and asking if this thing that feels so immensely heavy now, is really as significant as it seems. Will it matter in the future? That's maintaining perspective.
When you're feeling like you're treading water and are on the verge of drowning, stop for a minute and seek some perspective.
Things can often seem overwhelming. Whether it's your business, your relationships, your job, your finances, your health, there are all sorts of things that can weigh you down. When you're feeling like things are falling apart or like things are just too much to handle, step back and see things as they actually are.
The phrase is, "Keep things in perspective." It's a really powerful sentence and sums up exactly what we need to do - keep a sense of perspective in all areas of our lives. We need to apply perspective to every situation, every part of our lives. It is an incredibly powerful tool!
Perspective allows us to rise above a certain circumstance and see what really matters. It gives us the benefit of looking at things with a refreshed, refocused set of eyes. Regaining perspective gets us back on track and helps eliminate all the unnecessary baggage we haul around with us for no good reason.
So, when things are a little too crazy or you're feeling overwhelmed or out of your depth, remember: Keep things in perspective. It's an unbelievably powerful thing to do!
