We choose how we’ll look at things. We retain the ability to inject perspective into a situation. We can’t change the obstacles themselves–that part of the equation is set–but the power of perspective can change how the obstacles appear. How we approach, view, and contextualize an obstacle, and what we tell ourselves it means, determines how daunting and trying it will be to overcome.
Perspective has two definitions.
- Context: a sense of the larger picture of the world, not just what is immediately in front of us
- Framing: an individual’s unique way of looking at the world, a way that interprets its events
Both matter, both can be effectively injected to change a situation that previously seemed intimidating or impossible.
The difference between the right and the wrong perspective is everything.
How we interpret the events in our lives, our perspective, is the framework for our forthcoming response–whether there will even be one or whether we’ll just lie there and take it.
Where the head goes, the body follows. Perception precedes action. Right action follows the right perspective.
* Source: The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday