A Shift in Perspective – ElPropósito4 min de lectura

When everything changes, especially the direction of our thoughts

Photo by Elena Taranenko on Unsplash

It’s very natural and common to have a fixed line and structure of thinking that runs on autopilot and, above all, out of habit. When I talk about a shift in perspective, I’m picturing the natural direction we give our thoughts, the turns they can take and the doors we can open. Moving through the jungle with one fixed line of thinking is like walking with your eyes glued to the ground: you lose sight of the bigger picture and the resources around you, and all you’re trying to do is get through the short term. What happens when we change where those thoughts are pointed?

Sometimes simply changing how we go about certain daily routines sparks a lot of ideas and new ways of seeing obstacles. I’ve experienced it myself. I’ve stubbornly stuck to routines that bring me a lot of personal and professional value, and yet when I tweak the way I do them, or turn them on their head, I see a whole new range of options and opportunities I couldn’t see before.

Looking where we never looked before stirs up all kinds of emotions, from fascination and excitement about what might come to fear of change. Many organizations, for example, severely limit their ability to move forward with agility when they make changes, precisely because they don’t know how to communicate that this new way of doing things, this new position we’re heading toward, is also worthwhile and will also get us where we need to go.

On a personal level, many shifts in perspective come from within, and plenty of others come from outside stimuli. When the need to look elsewhere, beyond where our thoughts are currently fixed, comes from within, the effect is much more powerful and lasting, with a very clear purpose, perhaps even keeping the same course with a fresh perspective.

What keeps our gaze fixed day after day? And what makes us feel the need to look elsewhere? Stagnation and the need to grow are a fundamental part of our human ability to recognize when something is no longer delivering enough. The instinct to try something new, and even the fear of the unknown, have historically been levers for moving forward.

Finally, how do we make sure a shift in perspective will bring consistency and fulfillment? The answer comes when we ask whether that shift is in tune with our purpose. The first month of the year is ending, with many decisions and challenges still ahead, and directing our thoughts and our gaze in ways that give us the resources to reach our goals is crucial. How do you look elsewhere and redirect your thoughts? What do you gain when you change where you’re looking today?

Warm regards,

Rodrigo Baccaro

P.S. This week’s VELA:

• What I was Watching: The first lesson about love is personal dignity. Walter Riso is a great discovery for me. An excellent BBVA interview (Aprendamos juntos), and the four pillars for protecting self-esteem stand out above all.
• What I was Listening to: On Coaching & ICF. A great interview on a podcast I didn’t know (a very good one, by the way) with Ann Rindone, vice president of the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Worth hearing to understand ICF’s place in coaching and what sets apart those of us who are ICF coaches. It covers coaching ethics, the growth coaching has seen in recent decades and ICF’s global role in that boom, the different coaching niches, and even artificial intelligence (that part is PRO). Worth a listen.
• What I was Reading: Heridas tiene la noche. Francisco Pérez de Antón is a great writer whom I admire and respect, and I follow every book he publishes. I took a while to buy his latest because I’ve had a zero-book-buying policy until I finish the one I’m reading (I admit I get distracted very easily with books, and there are many I go back to months later). That policy has paid off, even for my wallet. The book is deeply Guatemalan: its story is one our grandparents and parents lived very recently in Guatemala, and it easily applies to many countries around the world, both in timing and in events. It’s a story I inherited and, to some degree, lived myself, and I only pray to God that I never pass it on to my children or have to repeat it. Worth reading.
• What I was Learning: Hugging our children doesn’t spoil them. A great BBVA podcast. What stands out most is how the brain develops at an early age (from back to front) and how screens (phones, computers and so on) can significantly affect emotional regulation.

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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