Perspective

“Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There are many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.” - Nelson Mandela

The way you think influences your actions. If you approach a task with a positive mindset, you are more likely to take actions and build habits that will lead to success. You’re also more willing to take risks and persist when failure arises. It’s all about perspective. And when things don’t go the way that we want them to, it can cloud our way of thinking.

Someone that maintained perspective and achieved success is Nelson Mandela. Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years for his activism. During his time in prison, he could have easily become bitter and given up on his cause. However, he maintained a positive perspective and used his time to reflect and educate himself. After his time in prison, Mandela continued to maintain a positive perspective and worked to achieve his goals of pushing for a transition towards democracy. This all happened through his ability to maintain perspective!

The perspective that we have determines how we see obstacles and setbacks. If we view them as barriers that we are never going to cross, that’s exactly what is going to happen. However, if we view obstacles as opportunities to grow, we can use those setbacks as opportunities to build resilience.

This all requires us to be able to see things from multiple perspectives. Ultimately, doing so can lead to better decision-making and problem-solving. By taking in other viewpoints, you gain a broad understanding of a situation, and be better able to come up with solutions to the problem at hand.

But seeing things from multiple perspectives requires experience. And experience means that you can’t be afraid to fail and make mistakes, because it’s through taking action and making those mistakes that growth is found. It’s where you are able to build! Through experience, you’re able to anticipate challenges and opportunities before they even arise! But none of that experience can be built without you taking the first step to viewing your setbacks as an opportunity for growth!

Reflection Question: What way of thinking is distracting you from taking action?

Coach T