Not long ago, I spoke with a woman who had recently made a career change. During her transition period, she decided to take a photography class. As we spoke, she had an “aha!” moment.
“Taking this class helped me to reframe situations and see them differently – both figuratively and literally!”
She was learning to look at things from another perspective as she sorted through career questions. As a result, she was gaining new clarity.
When we’re feeling stuck, whether in a job, a relationship, an attitude or more, it’s hard to see our way out. If we keep looking at the situation from the same perspective, it’s unlikely our view will change, and we’ll remain stuck.
I’ve heard far too many stories of women who felt there was no way to escape their current situation. That is rarely the case. There are a few things we can always do when we need a new perspective to help us find a creative solution to our situation.
- Change your routine. Routines can make us efficient, but the downside is they can narrow our perspective. Find one thing you can do differently in your daily routine.
- Explore the arts. Even if you’re not a regular fan of symphony, opera, museums or art in general, exploring a new area may help give you a new perspective.
- Take a class. It’s amazing how engaging on new topics with new people can stimulate us. When I started taking my coaching credentialing classes, I was re-energized with new ideas, information, and new friends.
- Join a club. Find a topic of interest and join an organization related to that topic. There’s a club or organization for everything. If there’s not…start one!
Once you’ve shifted your perspective, there are ways to apply your refreshed brain to the problem at hand. (If I sound like a broken record on some of these, it’s only because I’ve seen them work for me and for my clients.)
- Get your own personal board of directors. These are friends and supporters who will be brutally honest when you need it, but love you just the same. The right people have a knack for knowing how to tell you what you need to hear but leave you feeling encouraged.
- Talk to a mentor. There is great benefit in finding someone who has been in the place that is giving you trouble. Even if they’ve not been there themselves, their experience will be of use to you.
- Get a coach. If this sounds self-serving, I’d just like you to know that years before I became a coach, I myself used coaches to help me see through difficult situations, and to grow and develop. Coaches know how to support you and walk you through the process of problem solving and change. I recall a time that I worked with a coach who helped me change my perspective in such a way that it was transformational for my career. It’s what we do.
If you’d like the coming year to be more fulfilling, more productive or more successful than the last year, commit now to taking action. Do something differently to gain a new perspective. Maybe even take a photography class!
Photo credit: Evannovostro/Shutterstock
