Opportunity and the power of perspective

Hello and welcome to a new year. It is difficult not to feel the uplifting touch of potential that comes with this time of year. Potential, possibility, optimism and challenge. Here is an offering to consider as you contemplate the events and challenges of the coming year. 

• Through perspective, challenge is also opportunity. 
• The ability to influence your perspective is powerful.

Each human journey is a unique collection of events. Moments that can be as brief as an instant - a single flashing thought or sensation that dissipates immediately. Situations that expand to dominate an era, or potentially define a lifetime. Components stitched together into a story, a life. 

In order to understand and negotiate this blended pool of events, we use labels and categories to perceive and then organise our interaction with the world. Personally and as a culture, we generate our own language in this endeavour. The terms disaster, success, difficulty and victory describe the outcomes of life events. The labels impossible, desperate, guaranteed and hopeful are utilised to help understand the situations presented in life. 

We use these terms and labels both to understand life and to communicate with others the nature of the scenarios we encounter. We determine which terms and labels to use based on our perspective of the world, developed through our mental and emotional faculties. 


Perspective is fluid. 
Perspective is a wonderfully dynamic and powerful component of every person’s existence. At different times, or with different states of mind, an identical situation, experienced by the same person, can generate wildly varied responses. 

A house party with a large crowd and loud music can be either a brilliant idea or a complete nuisance - depending on if you are invited. 
The use of a profane word can be either a bonding and amusing moment between friends, or evidence of a damaged society - based on who said it, and to whom it was said. 
The death of a loved one might be the manifestation of the worst possible tragedy in life … it could also be a cause for reflection, celebration and gratitude. 


Perspective is built.
Our point of view is created and it is malleable. The opinions and behaviours of friends and family … the series of events that have rumbled through our lives … the cultural norms and tensions of the world around us, all add their weight in determining individual perspective. In some cases we are aware of this process, at other times the veil of consciousness hides the elements that mix to create our point of view.     

If we believe that our opinion, our attitude, our point of view, our perspective has been steadily generated and constantly modified by our movement through life, then it is easy to believe both that it will continue to change, and that we are able to influence that change. 


Perspective is a choice.
The realisation that the way we see the world - that fundamental bedrock of all our decisions and interactions - is something we can change, is significant. We have a measure of influence over how we view each event and situation. The difficulty is being aware of that reality, and believing enough to enact that influence.    

This means that as we move through the human journey, we will continue to grasp for understanding and direction. We will utilise the terms and labels that we know. Disaster … success … hopeful … impossible. We will say these things to ourself, and we will say them to others. It is how we each communicate and comprehend. The potential here is to realise that our perspective controls these labels. 


You influence your perspective. 

• When an event comes into life and is labeled as ‘difficult’, it is probably going to be difficult in some way. It is however possibly also going to be ‘valuable’. 
• If confronted by a situation that feels like it is ‘impossible’, there is a chance that it is also ‘worthwhile’.
• ‘Scary’ moments can at the very same time be ‘invigorating’ moments, or ‘stimulating’, ‘learning’ and ‘inspiring’ moments. 
• ‘Challenge’ is also often ‘opportunity.’

When we take responsibility for the task of labelling, we control the generation of perspective. Events can have different labels, situations can have multiple terms. While the perspective of every moment is influenced by internal and external factors, it is also up to us.  If we can find a way to be aware and to be in every moment, then we have influence.  


Perspective is fluid - Perspective is built - Perspective includes a choice - You influence your perspective.

As events of the new year unfold, remember opportunity exists everywhere, it is a choice of perspective.
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