Way back in 2020 we wrote about being Consistent & Persistent. To this day I still stand by the value of this advice that was given to me when my kids were little and have applied it to so many areas of my life. This post adds to that perspective the concept of perspective and context.
In life, it is the micro and macro choices we make that lead us to where we are. The house we live in, the route we drive our kids to school, the school they attend, where we buy groceries, where we park our cars, the list of decisions we make seems endless day in day out. The routine of life can become… well boring and repetitve at times. So what do we do when we find ourselves in a position, we don’t like, where were wake up and go, this is not how I wanted my life to be…I hear your mind start to crank over the answer to that. At times, the reality is that the wind and waves of life happen – the unexpected, the tragic, the triumphant moments, all combine to form where things are at in our lives in this very moment. Yet when we start to question and feel, this is not what I wanted my life to be like, we often forget do have a choice. Even when the bank knocks back a loan, when the job offer didn’t work out, when the flat tyre made you late for an important meeting… we need to choose to not feel stuck and know we always have a choice.
Tapping into the perspective vs context concept. I must admit, not too long ago, I was in the middle of the thought patten, of, this is not what I thought life would be like. I was backwards and forwards for weeks in my thought patterns between feeling stuck to feeling I’m brave enough to do something about it. When chatting off the cuff to a mentor, she said these words: “You can change your perspective, or context, or both, but not changing anything, won’t change anything.” It felt like a BINGO moment. The light bulb came on. I couldn’t keep sitting in my frustration, and “lack of” thinking – it wasn’t helping anyone let alone myself. I had a choice. I could step out into the unknown, brave and fearless – I like to call this drastic change (in other words changing the context), or I could change the way I thought about my position (my perspective) – reevaluate what success means to me, reflect on why I am where I am in life, look back on the decisions that have lead me to this point – and look deeper at the reasons why I feel stuck.
In all honestly, I was ready to change my context – quit a few things, start over, take some time off the committment list, but after carefully considering my context and perspective. I sought to change my perspective, dug into my goals a little deeper, and have continued on the path I have chosen for the time being. Doesn’t mean I’m not dreaming of a different context, doesn’t mean all of my frustrations have disappeared, doesn’t mean some days are not tougher than others. What this exercise has shown me is, the simplicity that exists between perspective and context and it’s potential power. It has shown me, the fine line between these two concepts that we totally have control over, whether we realise it or not.
Another way of seeing the concept of perspetcive and context I came across is – having grace to stay or faith to go. Both require bravery, strength and digging deep. Neither choice is easier than the other, but have a weighting of value.
My encouragement today is, instead of sitting in frustration, dig deeper into what your really feeling and thinking. Choose to look through the lens of perspective and context and see what changes you can make today, for a better tomorrow.
Homes of Victory 