Change Your Perspective
How we view a situation can actually change it
During a recent coaching session with a client, they were sharing how they were struggling with a colleague whose behavior was causing problems for their team. No matter what my client did, this colleague just wouldn’t shift their attitude or actions. We talked for a while about the challenges this situation posed for my client. It was obviously an irritating issue, which the client felt was utterly intractable.
I finally asked the client, “What if you changed how you look at this colleague?” Perplexed, the client asked me to elaborate. So I shared the famous Wayne Dyer quote: “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change.” What if they shifted how they view this difficult colleague? What could that mean for the relationship? And how could that shift their current predicament?
Suddenly, it clicked for the client. Instead of viewing this colleague as a problem and trying to work around their behavior, embrace it. They started listing all the positive things they appreciate about this colleague. The energy in the session immediately shifted from frustration and feeling stuck to gratitude and possibility.
It’s important to remember that just because we shift our perspective doesn’t guarantee the other person will shift their behavior. They could still be a challenging colleague to work with. But we can change the level of stress we experience, which has a significant impact on our energy and engagement.
And by changing our perspective, we often shift how we interact with the other person, which they perceive. They then adjust to mirror our shift in energy. By changing the way we view someone, they have the potential to change.
Wayne Dyer’s insight is profound. It’s true that often we get set in viewing a situation from one perspective. And our personal perspective is based on our own history and experiences. When we’re open to viewing a situation or a person differently, it unlocks all sorts of possible solutions we couldn’t perceive from our prior viewpoint. It also means that we personally grow because we shift from old ways of doing things that now no longer serve us.
This week, consider how you can shift your perspective about a person or situation that’s frustrating you.
What are some positive things you can identify (what’s the 10% silver lining)?
What are you learning about yourself in these circumstances?
How can you express gratitude for the person or situation?
What can you do differently that may cause the circumstances to shift in a more positive direction?
As conscious leaders, we know that we must BE the change we want to see in the world—especially the relationships and community closest to us. By shifting ourselves, we will create a ripple effect that can transform the world.
“To a disciple who was forever complaining about others, the Master said, ‘If it is peace you want, seek to change yourself, not other people. It is easier to protect your feet with slippers than to carpet the whole of the earth.’”
— Anthony de Mello
h/t to Tim Ferriss who shared this quote in his weekly newsletter.
Work happy. Live happy. BE happy.
Meredith
The way we work and build teams is rapidly changing. Leaders often feel unprepared to navigate the transition. As a conscious leadership coach, consultant, and communicator, Meredith helps leaders and their teams create new ways of working and relating so they can prepare for the future by consciously co-creating it.
Contact her to develop your conscious leadership and transform your organization into the workplace of the future.
You can support my work developing more conscious leadership in the world by investing in a paid subscription to this newsletter. Upgrade your subscription today!
Connect with Meredith on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for content related to these topics.