Bird’s Eye View
Why it matters to get the right perspective in life
We are so engrossed in our lives that we tend to focus only on the present moment or near future. In the process, we end up allowing some positive and negative energies to impact us. We may however forget to get a bird’s eye view of our own lives. A single incident, day, or even a year is a part of a very long journey and no matter how happy or sad we feel on a given day, it will pass, just like every other day.
There was a time in my professional life when I wanted to change my profile, almost bored with fulfilling the same set of responsibilities. I was confused on some days and excited with a new idea on others, but mostly with an impending decision on my mind. One afternoon I was sitting next to a window in my house where I noticed a wasp, struggling to find its way out. This window had grills and was partly covered in glass. The insect was mainly moving in the glass-covered area which, unfortunately, wasn’t an outlet.
I decided to rescue my troubled guest and opened the window from the other side. I expected the wasp to notice this option and exit. It was however stuck in the same area and still wildly struggling to get out. I wondered how it could not even feel the wind coming in from the outlet right next to it. This trivial frustration also made me relate this event to human life. Sometimes we assume what’s right for us and keep running in one direction. If we have exhausted our efforts in one path, we can pause and look around to see what options life may be trying to offer.
I wanted a readymade answer to my problem, expecting someone to come and tell me what to do next. Later I was told by an advisor that I should try to take up a different role in my current domain, which I may find interesting. There was no other way to find out. If I didn’t like this new role I would have to try again, apparently. I took the time to absorb this thought but realized it makes complete sense.
We cannot determine the outcome of any action without performing it. While we are so involved in solving all of life’s puzzles with known methods, a few out-of-the-box approaches may work as well. Even simply knocking on another door, calling that person you thought wouldn’t help you, or just taking a leap of faith in some form, can be the right thing to do in a given situation.
When it comes to perseverance, I get reminded of my mother. Even as a child, I would typically want to give up on the pettiest of goals, like looking for a misplaced notebook. On all such occasions, she would patiently ask me to keep trying. I may have found a lot more than misplaced notebooks since then...
