Perspective in Life
Your perspective in life will affect your perspective in business as they both overlap in many ways. The definition of perspective is view or outlook. Your overall mindset, whether positive or negative, directly influences your view of your life and business. (see: Saying Yes) It also works the other way around. Your view of your life and business can positively or negatively affect your mindset. If you look at the footprint of a building plan from the ground, it may seem to make no sense, but the logic of a plan becomes much clearer from an aerial point of view, or elevated perspective. This logic you can gain from an elevated point of view applies to many other situations.
"See your way through with an elevated point of view." ...Deborah Johnson
If you take a step back to see the larger picture, of life, relationships, business plans and even the future, it will help you with your current decisions. A huge trend in real estate is to use drones to provide a unique perspective when it comes to selling a property. Aerial views are used in all types of listings including residential, commercial, vacant land and rentals. I have known some to purchase a property sight-unseen merely from the excellent perspective they get from photos not only of a ground view, but from above.
There are coaches that pop up every day who claim they can take you from point A to point B. However, before embarking on any new program or offer, take time to evaluate your personal core values and perspectives from multiple views. Here, we will outline some of the most important perspectives in life that can also directly influence your business. Principles listed here are big-picture in scope. They will provide a solid framework and foundation. If you’ve ever seen a home without a solid foundation, you understand all too well how it can look good on the outside but be caving in on the inside. Don’t let that happen to you!
One: Spend Time in Preparation
One of the sayings I picked up from my father was, “Have your tools ready the night before.” He was not only a Captain of the fire department but built industrial buildings. If he was going to be on a job site the following day, he had his truck loaded the night before as he didn’t want workers waiting around for supplies. Time was money and he used it wisely.
This principle of planning ahead applies in any area. There are many daily planners and systems to be had but pick something simple enough where you can be consistent. I’m old-fashioned and do keep a physical planner as I’m very visual. It helps me to see the big picture of tasks and projects. I find many of my colleagues are also adding a system of pen and paper to enhance their digital system.
The main point here is to find something that works for you. If a list works, create a daily list. If all you need is an app, then use that. Whatever you use, let your system help you hit a new day with a running start. However, I will warn you not to overspend time on micro-planning! This perspective in life regarding preparation has the potential to have a huge positive effect in all areas.
Two: Establish Your Personal Daily Priorities
What do you do every day that keeps you centered? From the voices that urge you to be the best version of yourself to Positive Psychologists, you can find a plethora of opinions on daily practices promoted incessantly. With the recent year of upheaval and change experienced by most, a good daily ritual became imperative. And most rituals were revised or changed to adjust. (see: Hitting a Plateau) Daily priorities that include journaling, deep work and positive intentional breaks aid a healthy mindset and steady progress.
The first routine of my day includes a time of spiritual reflection and writing a few thoughts in my journal. Just15-20 minutes every morning keeps me centered with a positive perspective in life. I incorporate some sort of devotional guide or outline to keep me on track. It is a deliberate choice to not check my phone for any news updates. I am not always successful in this habit but getting better! A negative message really has an effect on my reflective time, so the news needs to wait.
Next, I do a small amount of deep work in my office before exercising. If there is pressing project, I can either get a start on it or cross it off my list early in the day. This usually consists of only 25-30 minutes before I start my exercise routine but jump-starts my work day. After this, since I’m an early-bird and I like to get my workout done early, I am then ready for my full day ahead. I exercise six days a week for an hour. I find exercise an absolute necessity in keeping a healthy perspective. There are many studies that document this fact. (also see: The Importance of Exercise)
Three: Guard Your Time & Relationships
It’s amazing anyone can get anything done with social media, pings on phones and instant push messages. Turning off many of those messages, at least for certain periods of time, will aid you in keeping a healthy perspective in life and in your business. However, this takes discipline and focus. There are two books I highly recommend by Cal Newport. One is Deep Work and the other, Digital Minimalism. My favorite is Deep Work, but both are a worthwhile read.
If you do guard your time carefully, your productivity and your personal satisfaction will increase. As our skills increase, our confidence does as well. It takes time, focus and effort to grow our skills, but the compound effect of doing so pays off tremendously. It is well-worth watching how you spend your time. It is your most valuable resource.
Relationships are another area to carefully maintain. I find no place for toxic relationships in my life. This may sound harsh, but these people are time and energy suckers. I like working and hanging out with those who are self-motivated and are not dwelling in a victim state of mind. They may be stuck and are by no means perfect, (none of us are!) but they are willing to do the work to get unstuck. I also put a high priority on my family. At this point in my life, I have adult kids. Staying in contact with them with calls, texts and time out to visit and celebrate is a high priority of mine. I try to adjust my work schedule accordingly. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to have a relationship with my family, so this perspective is one I honor highly.
Four: Major on the Majors
This principle is one that I hope will help you in many areas of life. In the movie For the Love of the Game with Kevin Costner, an aging star baseball pitcher, there is a scene where he blocks the crowd out completely, just focusing on his pitch. When watching this with my husband Greg, a former pro pitcher, he said this truly what happens when you pitch. You block out the noise.
In life, as well as in business, we have to block out the negative and distracting noise, focusing on what is most important, majoring on the majors. Some of the noise can be the voices in our heads telling us we are too old, too outdated or not tech savvy enough. Those voices are the mind games that will hold us back from pitching our best project, our best game or even living our best life.
The principle of majoring on the majors has worked well for me in producing my original musical world premieres, creating online courses and even running a non-profit. Keeping a laser focus is not always easy, but by doing so, there is a much better chance for a successful outcome to win, complete projects and lead effectively. That perspective in life will serve you well through most any situation!
Major on the majors...
deborah johnson
Thought Leader, Keynote Speaker, Author
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