The Power of Perspective: Are Your Problems Roadblocks or Detours?

Every December 31, the clock strikes midnight, and we toast to a new year. We look forward to a new beginning, a fresh start, another chance.

Another shot at a distant goal. Another year to hit a milestone. Another possibility to make your dreams come true. Another opening to make this year the best of your life.

You might end up not quite achieving those lofty new year’s aspirations. Conflicts surface. Barriers present themselves. Life gets in the way. You get in our own way. And the next December 31, you find yourself in exactly the same place.

What if these obstacles are just a matter of perspective? You have two choices: approach your problems as roadblocks or detours. Rather than wait for the world to change, change yourself. Which will you choose?

Your decision is wholly dependent on your perspective. If you see opposition as a roadblock, you may be a cautious realist. If you choose to believe challenges are your chance to forge a new path, you just might be on track to make the new year your best year yet.

Irving Berlin, the legendary composer and Broadway heavyweight, said, “Life is 10% what you make it and 90% how you take it.”

Easy for him to say, but how do you actually get there? Shifting your perspective to see problems as possibilities might not come naturally to you. The solution is more obvious than you think.

Being open to possibility starts with being open to yourself. Right now, you might accept a problem as insurmountable because you don’t yet have the confidence and fortitude to see obstacles for what they really are…opportunities.

You might think you’re too weak. Too small. Too stupid. Too ugly. Whatever lie you tell yourself, you allow your negative self-talk can prevent you from embracing possibility. Why? Because subconsciously, you fear that opening yourself to opportunity also exposes you to possible failure.

If you take a chance and seize an opportunity, there’s always a chance you might fail. If you fail, the crushing weight of that negative self-talk will feel heavier than ever. It’s no wonder most of us are so fearful of failure.

To change how you look at problems, change how you look at yourself. Of course, that makes the process sound easy. I know it isn’t. The payoff of a new perspective is well worth the work.

Think about your gifts and abilities. What are your talents? What fulfills you? What do you enjoy? What do you value? Get to know yourself on a deeper level and identify what makes you uniquely gifted to succeed.

Just knowing this isn’t enough. As Maya Angelou said, “The real difficulty is to overcome how you think about yourself.”

Rid yourself of fear by accepting your gifts and understanding their inherent value. Acknowledge that with these gifts, you have everything you need to not just successfully navigate the opportunities that come your way but also to create your own.

Changing your perspective, banishing your fear of failure, and taking your future in hand all require the same thing: your whole self.

Embracing your whole self, placing value in your gifts, and truly loving who you might not come naturally for you. As I’ve said before, “Where we choose to focus our energy matters.” You've probably spent most of your life being told to be humble, put others first, and not be boastful. To wait for opportunity to present itself.

For the record, I’m not telling you to be overly prideful, cut in front of the line at the coffee shop, or boast about your accomplishments to anyone who will listen. What I'm saying is that authentic appreciation of yourself is the best way to earn the confidence you need to make your own opportunities.

Of course, there’s another enemy out there. Getting out of your own way is one thing. Tuning out what society says about this kind of confidence is another entirely. Much of the public narrative about appreciating yourself paints it as unhealthy, conceited, and narcissistic.

That couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Maybe not in words, but certainly through actions, you've probably gotten the message that writing your own narrative is wrong. Society also tries to tell you that your own story is not yours to tell. And that taking chances is dangerous. Have I made my point?

When your personal and professional lives are flourishing and fruitful, you don’t allow an outside narrative to shape the arc of your life. You write your own narrative, and you have the right to be proud of every word.

Accepting your whole self is the key to unlocking your own opportunity this year. Unlock your full potential. The key is within your grasp!