Perspective is Everything

I recently had a conversation with a friend. He lives in Vancouver; I live in Ontario. 

Our exchange went like this: 

Him: It’s been an unusually cold winter here. Our winters aren’t typically this cold. 

Me: Oh that’s funny, because it’s been unusually mild here. Way warmer than usual. 

Him: What’s the current temperature? 

Me: 4 Degrees (Celcius). Yours?

Him: 4 Degrees (Celcius).

LOL. 🤣

Exact same temperature. Exact opposite experiences.

Perspective is everything, isn’t it? 

How we internalize and contextualize the environment around us matters so much. 

I think this is useful to remember for two reasons: 

The first is this: As storytellers of all kinds, we must continually strive to see things with fresh eyes. 

For example:

❌  If you’re writing copy for your website, you can’t write what YOU think is important, or use the language YOU know. 

✔️ You must challenge yourself to articulate what your AUDIENCE thinks is important, using the language THEY know. 

(For more on this, check out this story about seeing things from another point of view.)

The second reason is this: Your mindset will make all the difference in your success (and your perception of that success.) 

My client and friend Steve Mesler is a great example of this. 

An Olympic Gold Medalist, Steve is also co-founder and CEO of the non-profit organization Classroom Champions. When you run a non-profit, a personal brand is important. Since YOU represent the organization, YOU need to demonstrate who you are: your personality, your values, your leadership. 

This means you need to communicate. You need to show up and share who you are. Writing is a natural gateway to do this. 

Yet for years Steve believed that in order to write, he’d need to do everything himself: all the idea generation, all the writing, all the editing, all the logistics, all the publishing. 

There was no way he had the time, nor the skills to do all that. Steve believed he had some good ideas but he wasn’t a naturally-gifted writer. So, he didn't write.

Fortunately, Steve eventually shifted his perspective. He realized that it was OK to ask for help, to get coaching and support in order to write — just as he’d seek coaching for an athletic goal, he could seek coaching for a writing goal. And so, he came to me. 

I can honestly tell you that Steve’s progress has been amazing. When we started working together, his ideas were a big jumble, his thoughts all over the map. Today, Steve is my star student. He’s published his email newsletter every two weeks consistently for nearly two years, no matter how busy he is. 

Every time Steve sends out his emails, the responses are incredible. He receives accolades from notable business leaders, renowned authors and journalists, fellow athletes, and notably, prospective donors. (In fact, Steve credits millions of dollars in funds raised to the relationships and interest his newsletter has built.) Not to mention the inspiring, sincere words of gratitude and appreciation sent from family, friends, and others in his network. 

In addition to his newsletter writing, with my help Steve has become a stronger speaker, keynoter, and panelist. 

While I’m very proud of the ways I’ve been able to help Steve, one of the most critical pieces to his success has been his own mindset. 

He chose to seek out support, rather than trying to do it all on his own. 

He chose to adopt a growth mindset, to focus on developing his skills rather than assuming he’s simply “not a good writer”.

He chose progress over perfection, not getting hung up on whether each attempt was flawless, and focusing instead on staying consistent. 

And he chose to enjoy the process—to turn writing into something he enjoys, rather than something was once an exhausting chore.  

In turn, not only has he become a consistent writer and publisher—and developed his personal brand in the process—Steve has indeed become a better, more natural writer. He communicates his ideas far more effectively and more easily than ever before. 

This makes me so proud. Stories like this are why I do what I do!

So, here’s what I’m hoping you’ll take away from this. 

If there is something you hate doing, or think you suck at, or that is stopping you from progressing the way you want to progress… maybe it’s time to question your beliefs. 

🤔Do you really hate that thing? What if there were a way to like it?

🤔Do you have to go it alone? What if you could find a collaborator, coach, or someone to help you?

🤔Do you absolutely suck at that thing? What if there were a way to get better at it?

🤔Do you need to do this thing absolutely perfectly? What if you could do it anyway and get a little bit better each time? 

Let’s be honest. Life has real and legitimate challenges, there is no doubting that. However, we’d be remiss to forget that how we choose to view and respond to those challenges (and opportunities) can play a big role in the outcomes we achieve for ourselves. 

Sometimes, we might just be our own biggest roadblock. And, if we look at things a bit differently, we might discover that we have what it takes to clear the path.

If any of this interests you, you gotta check out my latest podcast featuring (you guessed it!) Gold Medalist Steve Mesler.

In this episode “How to Think (And Write!) Like an Olympian”, Steve and I explore the power of mindset, how it led him to Olympic Gold, and how he evolved as a thought leader and writer. 

Throughout our conversation, Steve shares specific tips and mental reframes which you can practice yourself.

If you want to adopt the power of an Olympian mindset to achieve your goals — and maybe have more fun doing it! — this is a must listen. 

Check it out wherever you like to listen to podcasts: my website, Apple, Google, Spotify, or Amazon.