Hindsight, as they say, is a wonderful thing. Often what was a muddle or mess during our lived experience is, in retrospect, crystal clear. The decision we deliberated over seems obvious. The terror of failing we felt seems trivial. This is partly because, when we’re in the midst of experience, facing an unknown future, we tend to home in and over-emphasise details. In effect, we are trying to outplay uncertainty and protect ourselves from mistakes and adverse experiences. Who could blame us?! 😳
Unfortunately, this detail focus can actually cause us to take the wrong path by blinding us to the big picture. Ugh!
So how to zoom out and take a more holistic perspective when we’re caught in the daily minutiae of our lives? FromMonday, try this week’s wellbeing exercise:
Imagine what you want your life to have been when you look back in one, five, 20 years. Maybe you want to feel that you’ve truly lived and taken risks, which may help you to overcome the paralysis of making the ‘wrong’ decision in the present. Perhaps you want to be able to say that you were a great friend, or that you travelled widely. In doing this exercise, imagine writing your own memoirs or telling your life story to children or grandchildren. Use this as a template for creating your life as you face each experience.🤨😊#keepsoaring
