I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the smartest guy in the room. Not the second smartest and not even the third. Most likely, I’m towards the bottom when it comes to intelligence. That’s okay. I accept that. But, there is something I value as a vital skill and continue to work on over the years as I feel it’s extremely important to master to becoming the best version of myself I intend to be and that is this: perspective and self-awareness.
For me, having perspective is about knowing your place and meaning in this world, in your work life, in your family life , your friendship circle and on. It’s about where you stand, how people view you, how you view yourself and how your presence effects others. It’s about not putting too much importance on yourself as we are a social species and are constantly in relationship with others. Even strangers. We are connecting with people everyday at every moment – unless you’re a hermit in the woods.
Perspective is keeping what is truly important at the foremost of your mind in every situation and not letting your emotions take over because you can’t tolerate that red Bronco cutting you off in traffic. It’s focusing on a solution rather than losing your temper when something goes wrong at work or a mistake is made and you have resolve the issue. And of course never forgetting Rule #6: Don’t take yourself so #@5damn seriously.
Here is one of the definitions of perspective I like: the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance. When we are on our deathbed surrounded by our family and loved-ones (hopefully), where does the situation of mistakes made in the workplace fall in importance? I know where they fall for me. So, why would I react in such a way where I look like a fool when it happens? (Not sure, but I’m still working on it). With perspective, we can see the big picture. We can pull back the zoom and see the entire forest for what it is and what is truly valuable and precious to us while we are living our lives out on this spinning marble for such a brief time.
Self-Awareness certainly overlaps perspective, however we now are looking at how our behavior impacts the people and the world around us. And believe me, we have a choice on how we impact others. We can choose to be volatile with an attitude of self-importance or we can move through this world with humility and respect for others looking for opportunities to practice kind and loving gestures to inspire others. Whether they are friends, loved-ones or strangers. Now, I’m not saying I do this each and every day – I’m doing my best to be better and demonstrate the best version of myself – but it’s certainly a work in progress. We all are and I’m no exception. But, one of my favorite attributes that I have and continue to hone is self-awareness – calling myself out and taking responsibility for any and all actions in my life without looking to blame others. When having self-awareness we can see ourselves more objectively (not totally) and welcoming the opportunity to learn more about our own blind spots. We ALL have them. The only difference is some of us are willing to learn more about them so we can learn, grow and evolve.
The choice is yours. But nevertheless, know it’s always a choice.