A Wider Perspective

Just got back from a wonderful week coaching a course called The Big Stretch up in the north of Spain in an area called the Picos de Europa. It is a wonderful area and we take our participants up in to the mountain and hike in the high peaks as well as kayaking along the river down towards the sea.

I have done this for a few years now and it is always a great reminder that when we change perspective it is easier to get new ideas on old problems. So often we look at problems from the same angle again and again and simply cannot see a new way through. Looking at our world, or even the world, from a different perspective helps.

Add being out in nature to a new perspective and you have a double whammy for solutions to arise. One year we were walking in a huge gorge, an awe inspiring landscape which begs you to think big. We were watching a mountain goat run down what looked like a near vertical slope and I ask the person I was with to take in the whole scene. He did and after a while I asked him what he got from it, and he said, keep my eye on where I wish to go and trust that I have the capabilities. It gave him the gateway to move forward.

So, are you stuck in looking at your life from one perspective only? What could you do to change perspective? It might be go hiking up mountains, or take a walk somewhere new, or it could be as simple as standing on your desk and seeing your office from a different place (watch Dead Poets Society for a great example of that). Whatever it is just give it a try, you will find that it can offer you new ways of being.


If this message has sparked your interest and made you think then please feel free to leave a comment - the more the merrier. If you would like to be informed when a new blog is posted please sign up for the blog alert by clicking the link (above to the right) or email me with Alert in the subject line.

If you would like to explore how coaching can empower you to create the life you want please feel free to contact me to arrange a time for me to call you for a free introductory session. Tel +34 958 639 593 or click here to email me

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Windows of Opportunity

I had a conversation with a new client this week in which he felt very confused and uncertain about what the next step to take was. Plans that he had made had not come to fruition and unforeseen events had created yet more things to take into consideration when making his ‘next step’ decision.

Of course there are lots of practical steps you can take to help you make a ‘next step’ decision. List the pros and cons, look at the consequences of each path of action, see where one course of action will impact in another area of life, see where your passion lies. The more information you gather the easier it is to get a clearer picture of what is the best way forward.

However, there is another way of looking at these confusing times of indecision. That is to see them as windows of opportunity. Often we attract what we feel is a chaotic situation into our lives for a reason. The reason can be because hidden behind all the chaos is an opportunity. It may be an opportunity that you have not seen before or perhaps it is one that you haven’t been able to take up before now. Or maybe it is such a big change that you have avoided it again and again and it has once more presented itself to you. Either way, here you are in this uncertain space, and the gift in this is to see it for what it is. Nothing happens by chance, and if you can just slow down enough to take a good look around, you might discern what it is that is waiting for you. It is tempting to hurry a decision at times like these, but what I often tell my clients is to actually take more time. If needs be, put an interim solution in place so you have the luxury of time. These windows of opportunity can be very meaningful and need to be recognised as such.

So if you find yourself in a chaotic, confused place in your life recognise that it is an opportunity, and give yourself the space to reflect on your circumstances. Take time to dip into the quiet space of your mind and see what guidance you are given. Don’t be in a hurry to rush through to that feeling of safety, instead know that you are truly on the edge of a breakthrough, a moment in time when you can consciously choose something new and different. This is a time when you can head off in a direction that has been waiting for you, and an opportunity to finally see and step through the open window.


If this message has sparked your interest and made you think then please feel free to leave a comment, the more the merrier. If you would like to be informed when a new blog is posted please sign up for the blog alert by clicking the link (above to the right) or emailing me at jessica@jessicamcgregorjohnson.com with Alert in the subject line.