How Perspective Shapes Your Journey

Our disposition has a lot to do with how we orient ourselves each day. Perspective not only affects every single decision we make, but also how others interact with us.

Are you feeling happy and radiating good vibes? Or are you exhausted and cranky and come across as aloof or aggressive?

How can we struggle one day and thrive the next?

The significance of perspective is that there are many sides, and we can consider a multitude of them.

Immersing ourselves in different cultures, environments, and situations expands our perspective, offering each of us the opportunity for greater understanding, tolerance, and objectivity.

What is perspective?

Our life is made up of millions of moments. These accumulated events, no matter how insignificant or grand, are absorbed in our psyche and shape how we view ourselves and others in the world.

With nearly 8 billion humans on the planet and no two people sharing the same collective experiences, it seems reasonable that there are nearly 8 billion perspectives that are completely and utterly unique. And the greatest element of perspective is our choice to change it.

Why is perspective valuable?

The significance of perspective is that there are many sides, and we can consider a multitude of them. Immersing ourselves in different cultures, environments, and situations expands our perspective, offering each of us the opportunity for greater understanding, tolerance, and objectivity.

How does positive perspectives help?

An optimistic perspective will make more of your days brilliant. You feel good about yourself, confident in your decisions, you have delightful interactions, and life just feels easier.

External issues are shrugged off and conflict is resolved with greater ease. Your light draws people in.

When it comes to travel, this positivity makes a big impact on your journey. I’m not talking about Pollyanna-ing your way in a foreign country, being blindly optimistic.

I am talking about how we handle the heavy blows. Travel triggers such as fear, exhaustion, and even frustrations with bureaucracy at bay and being mindful of our attitudes when these happen.

Consider the last time you helped a friend, family member, or stranger who was appreciative of your efforts, and you walked away feeling like a goodwill ambassador.

Now, recount the last time someone went above and beyond to help you. Were you grateful? Relieved? Even in awe of their kindness, and looking to pay it forward?

Close your eyes and let that warm, cozy feeling roll over you.

A good attitude, genuine curiosity, gratitude and a smile can get you farther than you think.

You never know who will cross your path, but with kindness, mindfulness, and emotional fortitude your journey will be far more vibrant and wonderful.

How does a negative perspective hinder you?

The problem with perspective is that it can easily get distorted, misinterpreted, or yanked out of context.

With nearly 8 billion varying perspectives, conflict is bound to happen.

Our “bad days” and pessimism don’t only singularly affect us. One person’s shit experience is passed off to the next person, who shares it with six others. Unfortunately, negativity cycles faster than positivity.

Frequent reports about bad travel behavior exemplify how stress can get the worst of people.

Customer service employees for airlines, hotels, and restaurants frequently become the target of intolerance and frustrations when perspective is distorted.

Reflecting on moments of negative perspective.

Have you reflected on moments and thought “I could have been so much cooler, I should have handled this differently, I would have done that.” I think of them as cringe-worthy pinecone memories- they are sharp and sticky in my mind.

Without these embarrassing moments we wouldn’t grow. We wouldn’t recognize our own intolerance. We wouldn’t know that we need to find ways to cope so the next time we find ourselves in a similar situation we can handle it better.

How to shift your perspective immediately to the positive?

When you notice you are feeling overwhelmed and in a negative space take a moment to chill.

Here are a few tips on what you can do:

Deep breathing. A few deep breaths and your heart rate will slow, blood pressure will drop, stress levels will decrease, and your clouded brain will get fresh oxygen that can clear your mind.

Smiling. It releases dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins that makes you feel good, but it also makes you appear more approachable. Smiling at strangers will often lead to one of three reactions:

Mirrored. Genuine and unpretentious.
Bewildered. Um… Do I know you? You are looking at me funny.
Snarling. You can walk away unaffected, and they can continue to be in their shit space, OR you can dole out some of your sacred sunshine and turn their day around.

Being mindful. Take a step back for a few moments and sit quietly to figure out what you are really feeling. Are you tired? Hungry? Overwhelmed? What triggered it? Let your mind settle and and then reassess the situation.

Being conscious of mood cycles. Many medical conditions impact people’s moods. Understanding whether you are being impacted by external factors or if you are internalizing events can help with your perception. Having the support of a medical professional can help get you resolve it through therapy and/or medication.

Shutting down our inner critic. A friend calls this the “shitty committee,” often driven by fear or misunderstandings and lathered up by our own inner dialog. Basically, bitch sesh, party of one. And it takes a conscious effort to break free of these progressive negative thought patterns.

Labeling them as “negative thoughts” rather than labeling yourself as a “bad or negative person” will help you overcome them faster.

How travel impacts your perception.

The more you are open to new experiences and people, the more you broaden your view of the world. Travel opens your eyes to how people live in other places, in other conditions.

Conditions far different from your own and how they deal with problems many of us would never face. Such as walking great distances for drinking water or being a child and supporting siblings.

We learn what holds significance or value.

That having loving, people in your life and enriching experiences carry more weight than this season’s fashions and newest restaurants. You are more likely to experience gratitude for the things you have when witnessing how so many people live fulfilled lives while having far less.

You feel humbled by nature and see humans’ environmental impacts and the Earth’s incredible beauty and resiliency.

You will have some understanding of what inequality feels like and what it’s like to be a minority.

You will learn how small and insignificant each of us is, as well as how much of an impact we can have on someone else’s life.

Travel gives you the gift of stepping into a new realm of discomfort and therefore shapes yet another new perspective.

We as humans are complex beings, but we have the capacity to be compassionate and kind. We can adjust our views in life in a multitude of ways. So, the next time you are feeling particularly sour, consider that perspective is a powerful lens, but you can always adjust the focus.