Shifting perspective is a really useful tool to avoid getting stuck in patterns of behaviour or thinking.

Harvard Psychologist Daniel Gilbert observes that when people are asked if they believe they are the same person they were 10 years ago, most people say no. It can be easy to see the changes we have undergone when looking back but people consistently underestimate the changes that will happen in the future. He concludes that:

"Human Beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they are finished"

I often work with clients to help them recognise and appreciate their development to date and their potential for the future and am always interested in new ways to explore this. I recently worked with a client who was feeling stuck so we embarked on an exercise to look back 5 years to reflect on what they had been up to and they were surprised. At the outset they had not considered it to be a particularly eventful period but they started a new notebook and the pages started to fill.

That exercise went beyond what they had done, it was also about who they were and wanted to be, their purpose and the impact they were having. It helped them think very differently about the next 5 years, it became clear that they were a different person to 5 years ago and they will be different in a further 5 years, the differences may be subtle but they are significant.

By embracing that scope for change they can be more proactive about setting a direction. It doesn’t have to be specific but it opens up thinking and enables them to be honest and open about who they really want to be.

We reflected on the factors that had supported their growth so that they could be more deliberate in applying them in the future and considered other options that may be helpful.

With the greater belief that more is possible they were able to allow themselves to explore diverse options for their future. They now feel excited about what may happen in the next five years.

Stanford Psychologist Carol Dweck’s research identifies those with a fixed mindset as:

"Getting stuck in the tryranny of now"

As opposed to those with a growth mindset:

"Luxuriating in the power of yet"

Even though we are aware that we do change and evolve it is easy to forget our capacity for that and the fact that gradual change over time results in arriving at a new place.

Especially when life feels challenging, when we are stressed or anxious, we can slip into the belief that this is the new reality. Taking a longer term perspective allows for the inevitable ups and downs that life brings but helps us look beyond the current challenge.

The ability to be present and engage with the here and now is a great foundation for growth and all the more powerful if you allow for the possibility of what unknowns you may encounter, what untapped potential you have and the possibilities that lie ahead - and you don’t need a time machine!

Sign up for the next Power of Assertiveness Workshop

Join the Waitlist

Catch up on season one of Rachel Goodwin's Wordwise Coaching podcast

Listen Here

Discover how Rachel can help you or your organisation

Contact Rachel

Rachel Goodwin

– Director