I often talk about the power of shifting perspectives, especially when considering challenges with making progress towards personal and professional goals. Changing perspectives not only provides positive impacts on our emotions, but also provides different insights and viewpoints on challenges and different approaches not previously visible. Sometimes, to get a unique perspective and elevate our mood, we benefit from changing out physical view. And this is something anyone can possibly do, no matter what budget or means, or mobility etc. For example, you can travel to somewhere completely different geographically and/or culturally, or travel to a different neighborhood or surrounding area where you live or move to a different part of your home to change up your view, or look at a physical printed photo, magazine, book pictures etc. or images online that depict a different physical view. Get creative with it and find numerous ways to change your view. This is a practice I’ve done often since a young age, but sometimes I must remind myself to change my view because I can get too comfortable and stuck with the same view.
As a young teen, when I started driving, I enjoyed going to a nearby lake park on Lake Lanier where I grew up in Georgia. Just sitting there on the red clay banks of the Chattahoochee River and Lake Lanier, the change in view from my home and neighborhood helped me with analyzing life challenges and deciding the best way forward. I keep pictures of that lake view on my phone and look at them from time to time when I can’t go to the lake in person. And that simple change in view, even for a few minutes helps me immensely when considering alternative paths towards my goals. Often my different views are of varying nature and/or geographical views such as a lake or green mountain view, desert mountain views and landscapes, a meandering river through small villages and countryside, or a seaside cliff walk, and sleepy villages tucked into the cliffs and coastline of the sea. This week I’ve been more intentional with changing my view and being open to the new perspectives and inspiration it provides.
At the same time, I have recently noticed in my commute to work, the various people around me with headsets or earbuds on, obviously listening to music during their commute. I can usually tell if they are listening to music by the slight nodding of their head or tapping of fingers or feet to a beat only they can hear. I love listening to music as well anytime, but especially on my hour-long commute by subway to work each day and the walk to the office. I’ve noticed the change in my step when walking and my overall demeanor is more positive and ready for the challenges of the day. I’ve also noticed that when I change up my music, it creates different soundtracks for the day, sometimes creating new awareness and appreciation for the things I have in life and the opportunities I have to work towards my goals. I remember my mama and her baby brother, Uncle Jimbo (Jimmy) who lived with us at the time, would play music every morning on her enormous console stereo while they were getting ready for work. I would sit nearby enjoying the music as well, watching them dance around the house singing along to the songs and motivating them for the workday ahead. I still have those same records of mama’s that she would play. And sometimes, I get them out and play them to remember mama, Uncle Jimbo and many others who are no longer with us. And it makes me smile in remembrance while at the same time, continues to inspire me in the same way it did them as I prepare for my work towards goals. Not only does music have the power to improve emotions and connect with memory, it also has the power to create a soundtrack for the day, weeks, and months ahead that inspires you and sometimes presents opportunities for new ideas and perspectives on life and career challenges that weren’t visible before. That’s why it is valuable to not only listen to music, but also, change it up sometimes if you are feeling stuck. Listen to a different genre or artist to see how that soundtrack for the moment or day changes things for you and opens new perspectives.
And finally, most importantly, the new perspectives and insights you gain from changing your view and changing your music also allows you to change your story. One of the most powerful tools for me personally came from Dr. Brené Brown when she talked about the power to change your own story. She mentions that usually the first story we tell ourselves about a given situation is incomplete or contains a lot of emotionally charged content that many times is wrong. She refers to it as ‘the shitty first draft’ story and challenges us to ask, “what is the story I’m telling myself?” I love that, and it freed me up many times from bad stories I was telling myself that held me back. The good news is when we analyze the story we are telling ourselves, or the story we are living in now, we also can rewrite that story for ourselves. And by changing your viewpoints (in person physically or looking at a virtual or printed photo of different views) and changing our music, we gain new perspectives and insights that give us new content to rewrite our stories.
I encourage each of you to consider how you can change your view, get creative with it, and change your music to try out new soundtracks for the day. Experiment with it to see what new insights and inspiration you encounter and how it may inform a new story for you while working towards your goals. Also, reflect on your own past stories to see if you’ve encountered this before. What happened when you changed your view previously? Did it impact your perspective on life or career goals? Also, reflect on how you felt when you changed the music you listened to before. What different emotions did you experience? Any new perspectives or creative inspiration result from the change in music? If you have experienced this before, how often do you change your view and music? Why or why not? For some it is about beginning to experiment with this practice. For others, like me, it is more about reminding ourselves to do it more often or regularly to prevent being stuck in place for too long, often because it is more comfortable to stay in place instead of embracing change. But embracing change is where we grow and achieve our goals. So, get out there and experiment more with changing your view, changing your music, and changing our story. The opportunities to rewrite your story await because Your Story Matters.
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Also, I am an ICF-certified professional coach specializing in coaching for career transitions, leadership, and overcoming procrastination. If you or anyone you know is looking for a professional coach, please reach out anytime at [email protected] or visit my website at https://tonysmith-coaching.com/
