Shifting Perspective: Choose Wisely

I nearly didn’t make it to my keynote presentation!

I hit a rough patch of highway entering another province and busted a strut. 

Of course I didn’t know that then—it sounded more like half my car fell off on the highway. 

I pulled over and called my dad (no matter how old I get 🫣).

I was forty-four minutes away from my destination, and my main thought was: I’m getting to my keynote, even if I have to hitchhike (I wouldn’t). 

So I turned on my 4-ways and drove 80km/h the rest of the way, cringing with every bump. 

I made it with minutes to spare. 

I decided to take a chance and drive home afterwards, and found it interesting that I wasn’t angry or frustrated or resentful about my “luck” (or lack thereof). 

Years ago I would have cursed the damn roads, been frustrated that my recently-safety inspected car crapped out, or panicked to the point of not being able to pour all of my focus into the people attending my presentation.

I attribute all of this to shifting my mindset over the last number of years. 

Banging my fists on the steering wheel or working myself into a fit of anger wouldn’t fix my car, but it would [negatively] impact my ability to see a solution. 

This mindset stuff isn’t woo-woo. It’s science. 

When we have the ability to see situations through various perspectives, and to not take things so personally, we create space for forward-thinking—for solutions. 

When we’re not stuck in the problem we can be more productive, more communicative, more innovative.

And when we’re more productive, communicative, and more innovative… The sky’s the limit! 

I arrived back home safe and sound. 

Several days later I’m still thinking about the experience, but not the part about my car or nearly missing my keynote. 

After nearly eight hours of driving that day, I’m focused on the memory of the one hour I got to spend with some amazing people. The energy in that room was incredible, and it’s energy like this that fuels me.

If I had instead focused on being upset over something I had no control over, I would have missed out on the best part of my day.