I’m lucky enough to live right in the heart of a beautiful part of the world; Yorkshire to be precise. This picture was taken this morning. It gives you a sense of how glorious it can be on top of the moor when the sun is shining. When all’s well with the world and you’ve got your trusty fur-baby by your side!
I do this walk most weekdays – and for that I’m grateful each and every time I’m up here. In this ‘new normal’ that we’re all making right now, it’s become an essential start to the day. That precious time helps me think and plan the day ahead. It’s a different type of work commute and most definitely better commute than a couple of hours in the car, stuck in traffic!
On ‘top’t moors’ (as they’d say in Yorkshire!) you really do get a full 3600 view and a fresh perspective on the surrounding area. It’s a bit like that few minutes when you’re either landing or taking off in a plane, when the world looks small. You see the bigger landscape and you notice things that you don’t necessarily see when you’re at ground level.
I was thinking this morning, about how much my role as a coach & psychotherapist is about enabling clients to get fresh perspectives on their lives. Where I’m most useful, I believe, is when I’m able to walk with them to the top of the hill, and from that vantage point enable them to look at the bigger landscape of their life, be it work or personal. Together we’re pointing out the landmarks and features of the landscape that are shaping thinking and the actions taken. Our time together is a chance to look at what’s happening, how they’re handling it and where echoes of the past are playing out in the present day.
Day to day we’re at ground level, we’re stuck in the detail of what’s going on. there are times in our lives when that tunnel vision is can be really helpful. Just thinking about dealing about COVID and all that this crisis involved is probably one of those instances.
When we’re at ground level we can’t see the wood for the trees. We can feel stuck and overwhelmed and that there isn’t a way forward. We can feel trapped in a downward spiral of negative thinking and it can feel hard to break out of that loop.
At times like this we’re working three inches from the ground – and we get a very limited view of what’s going on. We’re unable to see over the hedges either side. We can neither see the road ahead nor where we’ve been.
The beauty of getting high and drawing upwards is we get a much greater sense of the full landscape. Patterns emerge. We get to see the bigger picture. We get to look at all that we do, which can help us to get a more balanced view. Perhaps we get the chance to see and acknowledge the highlights, the good points and our strengths along with the things that we wish we’d done differently.
So next time you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed, would there be a way of checking; “Where’s my perspective here? Am I 3 inches or 3,000 ft from the ground?”
“If I were to look at the broader landscape, what else might I see?”
“What can I do to help myself see the bigger picture here?”
You might not have the chance to get physically on top’t moors, but with some time and space you can definitely expand your awareness about what’s going on for you right now. You never know, it might just give you a clearer view of the route forward and of the successes and achievements that you’ve already clocked up.
I’d love to hear how you get on with this, so let me know. And if this has resonated and you’d like to have a further chat, please feel free to get in touch.
