Perspective has only two sides, proactive or reactive. That’s it. One makes you defensive, hesitant, and cautious. The other gives you energy, vision, and opportunity. And it’s always your decision which side you want to be on.
Our perspective can either stall us or move us forward. With this knowledge, what can you do to change your own perspective?
Perspective asks questions like are you a victim or a leader? Do you respond to, or do you create outcomes?
An interesting way to look at perspective is with the inception of rideshare. You can look at this in two ways.
The first way is to look at how it interrupted the transportation industry. It gave unexpected and unanticipated new competition to taxis and limousine services. It threatened jobs and income. It caused more traffic and cars to be on the road.
Initially, cities didn’t know how to handle this new emergence of transportation services. They didn’t understand how to regulate it or to make it fair for all car services. Like most new disruptions, people weren’t sure what the future would hold.
But then perspective changed.
And it came in a very cool and unexpected way:
- It provided new sources of income for people who were having trouble getting work or needing supplemental income, because of age, skill level, etc.
- It offered workers the flexibility of time to work any hours of the day or week.
- It provided a cost-effective option to people who – for whatever reason – needed another form of convenient transportation to work, social engagements, travel needs, errands, etc.
- And it connected people who were never likely to meet under other circumstances.
This simple concept changed the perspective of everyone. In the past, who would have thought:
- We would ride in a stranger’s car and not only enjoy it but PAY FOR IT!
- That grandmothers and other retired people would have a way to combat the boredom of retirement and loneliness, while simultaneously enjoying a supplemental income.
- That people would be willing to give up their second car and opt to take a rideshare instead.
- That people who never met before (driver and passenger) could exchange stories, ideas, and for a brief moment, connect and touch each other’s lives.
And like most new innovations, it changed how we look at the world and our future.
One perspective is negative and limited, the other is open and expansive.
It should be noted (as I have mentioned in past articles) that the creators of some of these disruptive companies were egotistical, entitled, and ultimately acted in their own self-interests rather than the interests of their customers; like Uber, WeWork, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Your perspective sets the tone for everything you do. And it determines how you will see the world. Will you see possibility and inventiveness, or will you see adversity and struggle?
A friend once shared a very apt golfing analogy. It doesn’t take a major shift in your technique to go from a wild hook to the left, or when it slices aggressively to the right. He says that the biggest shift in your game is as simple as shifting the placement of your thumb slightly. That’s it.
And this simple little realignment can change your game dramatically.
The same goes for your outlook. It’s what defines whether your outcomes will be based on a reactive outlook or a proactive desire.
One leaves things up to chance. The other is the world you create on your own terms.
It’s your attitude. Your point of view.
And when we talk in terms of creation, as I’ve mentioned many times before, nothing in this world that is man-made exists until someone has envisioned or created it.
The people you marvel at, the ones you admire, and those you think are lucky, gifted, smarter, or special, all have a proactive perspective on how they approach life. They set the terms and conditions for how things will go and what outcome they want.
This speaks directly to manifesting. Manifesting in the simplest terms is envisioning something as if it has already come to realization.
The people who can manifest the greatest outcomes are those who practice over and over again, seeing the outcome they desire as if it has already manifested.
They envision everything; how they will feel, or what the weather is like. They touch, see, smell, and taste everything as if it has already occurred. They experience the conversations they have when their desire comes to fruition. They enjoy the gratitude they feel. The positive energy they emanate from enjoying the fruits of their desires. Everything they do is as if their wish has already been fulfilled.
They never ‘hope’ their dreams will come true. They already see it as having happened. And they practice this just like a professional athlete does when he or she sees themselves running through a competition or event over and over again as if it is actually happening. Every nuance, every anticipation, and every encounter is practiced in their mind again and again until it becomes absolutely real for them.
In the movie “The Founder” Michael Keaton’s character, Ray Kroc (not a nice man), kept repeating ‘persistence, persistence, persistence.’
I would offer that you change this to ‘perspective, perspective, perspective.’
I would suggest you add the word proactive to your vocabulary.
It’s very easy for one to react to everything life throws at you daily. And in this way, you never have time for your own dreams and desires.
Proactive takes focus, effort, and the ability to allow oneself to dream, desire, fantasize, invent, create, and build.
Proactive means that you set the tone for how your day, week, and life will play out. Yes, you will hit some road bumps, as we all do. Your perspective (proactive or reactive) will determine how you handle these bumps.
But I can assure you that proactive people are the ones who see fewer bumps along the way.
Perspective is a part of your belief system. When your beliefs dictate your outlook, it becomes harder to maintain a proactive mindset. In order to gain a more powerfully proactive advantage, you must reexamine the beliefs you hold onto tightly that may be limiting or holding you back.
Think of it this way, reactive is a canvas already colored in with all the pictures you are familiar with, leaving no room for growth, change, or opportunity.
Being proactive is like having a blank canvas where you get to choose what to paint, what colors you’ll use, and how vibrant and detailed the picture will be.
One canvas is already laid out for you. The other is completely of your own creation.
When you change your perspective, you change your outlook, and therefore, change your opportunities. A small shift, like the wings of a butterfly, can have the biggest impact in the most profound way.