When I was a kid, I was fascinated by world globes, whether it was the one in my classroom, or at the library, or one that was a decoration in my grandparent’s den.
I thought it was interesting how you could see the entire world at one time. Kind of like the view the astronauts have in space, but you can spin the globe!
Although we tend to think we are super important – and we are in many ways – it was humbling to realize that in that globe I was just an infinitesimal little speck.
I used that idea to give myself some perspective one time when I was having a particularly rough day. I saw myself from above as if the ceiling was gone from the room that I was in.
And then I kept just pulling further and further away in my mind, seeing myself from above getting smaller and smaller until I could see the entire world like those old globes.
It definitely helped me put my own problems in perspective.
It’s not that I was trying to minimize the problem I was having at that time, but just trying to put it in some kind of context.
At a time like right now when you might be feeling similarly, upset or anxious about something, taking that perspective, seeing how things fit within the entire world is an amazing remedy.
And seeing things in perspective can be really important.
By the way, I still have the globe that was in my grandparents den and it works just as well today as it did then. (It’s in the picture accompanying this post.)
Question: What techniques do you have to give yourself better perspective of a problem?