The Benefits of Flipping Your Perspective

Like many during this pandemic, I’ve taken to walking in my neighbourhood to get some fresh air and exercise. I usually prefer walking in a loop so that the scenery is different coming and going. However, one morning, I was a little pressed for time so my route was a simple out-and-back walk.

On this walk, when I turned to head home, I was looking at the same houses and gardens that I’d already observed on the outbound direction. To my surprise, I saw details that I hadn’t seen before. There was a garden gnome and a unique flower that made me wonder ‘why hadn’t I noticed those before?’.

I was looking at the same environment, but from a different perspective. This became a metaphor for how looking at the same situation differently can help you notice something new. Sometimes, the new observations can be significant.

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Max Planck

After writing my previous post, I started reading some of my old journals. I’d written about a hectic, unbalanced time in my life where I gave away a lot of my time and energy to working and volunteering. My life was desperately lacking recreation and play. I noted that my work colleagues filled their weekends with fun and play. I’d wondered why they weren’t volunteering during their weekends. Then, a new perspective hit me: I asked myself why wasn’t I having more fun on my weekends? My perspective on my life flipped around. I realized that it was up to me to add some fun to my life.

A few months later, I’d dialed back my volunteering and working to more manageable levels and I purchased a new road bike I’d always wanted. I rode off into the sunset, pleased with how my new perspective helped me add some fun to my life.

How can you flip your perspective to see something in a new way?

Image by Mona Benjamintz