If you want to reduce stress, make more balanced decisions, develop deeper empathy and gain greater clarity, then let's talk about this. PERSPECTIVE.
Your perspective is your outlook on the world and how you see your own reality. Your perspective is not right or wrong by default. It's your point of view based on your life experiences, values, current state of mind, the assumptions you bring into a situation, among other things. Everyone thinks in a different way and has their own unique view of the world. Your perspective is YOUR own personal point of view. We each have one; sometimes we share it with others and sometimes we don't.
Sometimes in the fast-paced world we live in, we forget to step back and truly understand the point of view of others. This is perspective-taking. To step in the shoes of others and see things from their point of view. We also forget to look at things objectively and have an open mind. This is perspective-seeking. Realising that your own perception is not reality, but your unique version of reality, can help you change how you react to a situation. It can help you to take a step back and question why you are thinking a certain way and look at the other ways of viewing the situation. It can help you understand situations from other positions and view points and reduce bias, conflict and judgement.
By taking the time to put things in perspective we can develop a better understanding of situations and have a more balanced viewpoint. Perspective-taking and perspective-seeking can benefit us in so many ways, both financially and in everyday life and allows us to:
➡️ Make better financial decisions
➡️ Improve our relationship with money
➡️ Reduce conflict with others around money
➡️ Reduce financial stress
➡️ Let go of our biases and judgement
➡️ Keep strong emotions in check and react rationally and considerately
➡️ Be less impulsive with money
➡️ Keep worries or thoughts in perspective
➡️ Gain greater clarity on a situation
➡️ Build stronger, more empathetic relationships
➡️ Grow and learn about ourselves and others
➡️ Let go of judgement and focus on facts
With conscious effort, time and practice, you can learn to bring awareness to your own thoughts and narratives and find more constructive and beneficial ways to view a situation, whether this is something that happened long ago in the past or just yesterday. Stepping back and seeing things from other perspectives allows you to react to things differently. We all have the capability to do this. Change your perspective on a situation, change how you feel about the situation and change how you respond to the situation.
I will leave you with a quote by Abraham Lincoln:
“Judge not, for you would do the same thing if you were in that position."
Until next week!