Perspective – Day 5

The most practical way to practice perspective is to let ourselves see things as we do, knowing that in ten minutes or three hours, how we see things is likely to change.

Action: Don’t just ask yourself what other people’s perspectives are. Ask them. Men often see things differently than women. Children see things differently than adults. Two years is half a lifetime to a four-year-old. It’s a moment in time to someone sixty years old. Going through certain experiences changes how you see things. When you’re bitter, you see things one way. When you have hope, you see things in a different light. Don’t expect someone in excruciating pain to keep things in perspective. They probably can’t. All they know is that it hurts.

When a problem arises, here’s a trick old-timers in Alcoholics Anonymous teach. Will this problem still matter and be a crisis a year from now? Give yourself and others time for perspective to change. Life has a way of shifting itself around. Even if you can’t get something in perspective right now, if you stay open, life has a way of doing that for you. Talk to other people. Hearing what others have to say is a good way to gain perspective when you can’t get things in focus on your own. That’s why people in recovery share their experience, strength, and hope.

The real trick to perspective is combining it with respect and tolerance. Remember, each person thinks he or she is the main character in the story—and that he or she is the only one who counts.

From the book: 52 Weeks of Conscious Contact