Already upside down today? If you ask me what I love most about my work, it’s the change of perspective. And there are very good reasons why this is so.
What is a change of perspective?
A simple sidestep is already a kind of change of perspective. Things that are close to me I can see from a slightly different angle. Sometimes I find things previously hidden by something else. “Oh, there’s the pen the kids borrowed yesterday.”
Maybe as a child you looked upside down while doing gymnastics and laughed your ass off because suddenly everyone seemed to be running on the ceiling? Or you looked down from the top of a jungle gym at everyone who suddenly seemed much smaller?
I also try to put myself in the shoes of my counterpart. Both physically (what do they see right now) and psychologically (how are they doing right now). If I was in a particular situation, I might imagine my friend being in a similar one. What advice would I give them? There is often quite a difference between what we suggest someone else do and what we ourselves would do.
Why do I want to change my perspective?
When I’m having a problem, I often get stuck going in circles. Again and again, I keep finding why something isn’t possible. But finding solutions? That’s difficult when I’m stuck in the hamster wheel of my thoughts. In the end, it’s like sitting in a dark valley, surrounded by mountain peaks, with no way out in sight.
But how beautiful is it when it’s possible to get a bird’s eye view of the valley? To recognize a path from above and then go in this direction.
Often completely new possibilities open when I look at a problem from another person’s point of view. What would I advise this person? Could I accept this advice myself? And, quite interestingly, if not, what prevents me from doing so?
But it also helps me personally to understand other people better. To ask the question: why they are acting like this now? That often makes a difference and allows me to react differently.
Can I learn this?
You can already do this, but maybe you don’t notice it. Looking under your desk when you’re looking for something? You probably know. To ask yourself how this person or that person would solve that? You may also know.
It helps to look more deliberately for a few days, to consciously take a step to the side or backwards, either physically or in thought.
What I enjoy the most
As a role player, I’m a friend from different angles anyway. I particularly enjoy the so-called “headstand” technique for many topics. The question is reversed. It is almost one hundred percent certain this will lead to very funny questions and correspondingly, also very creative answers. Problem solving and having to laugh; is there anything more ingenious?
–Lucie