This is a photo from a year ago that I ran across after one of my many online meetings.
It was a good meeting but the angles of this photo summed my perspectives at the time.
Living inside screens and speaking into strange devices.
I recently starting to have some in-person meetings and workshops and realised it gave a familiar but very different perspective.
Perspectives can be very powerful things and something that I often use in my coaching.
Many of my clients (individuals and teams) come to me feeling stuck - whether in their work, personal lives or just not feeling seen or valued.
When you’re feeling stuck the key is to identify what ‘this’ is, give it a name and then think about how that feels from this perspective.
The thing is, this perspective is a choice we just don’t see it that way. Yet.
Stuck can feel like many things - quicksand, swimming in glues and walking on a battlefield - you get the picture.
The next part is when you get to choose new perspectives. (The fun part)
A new lens through which you see the world.
Close your eyes and imagine the same world but with a…
Different view.
Different attitude.
Different impact.
When you try on this new perspective you are offered new choices, a shift in ownership and unlimited options of how to move forward.
These can be anything you want that holds meaning for you.
Here are some of the things I often choose when I am feeling stuck:
Clown perspective - where everything is silly and playful. (I have clown glasses for this one). Walk around, do a silly dance with your clown glasses on.
Superhero perspective - where you are grounded and have secret superpowers. Stand in your best ‘power pose’ and imagine the feeling of your superpowers.
Turtle perspective - where life feels graceful, clear & calm. Slow down and relax your breathing.
My favourite is the clown (I still were clown glasses to physical meetings sometimes).
I eventually became used to meeting in the virtual world and the angles weren’t so sharp anymore and I became more comfortable. I could appreciate them for what they allowed and their limitations.
I have now gone back to some in-person meetings and workshops. Also a different perspective with different possibilities. I am familiar with this perspective but now view both as effective ways of interacting and collaborating authentically with people.
What perspective are you holding today and which new ones do you want to choose?