I’m a huge believer in having many perspectives on situations. I don’t think it’s ever wise or necessary to hold so concretely to your point of view that you exclude the opportunity to learn. What I wonder though, is if it’s the color of the glasses that we are looking through that do more damage to our perspective than anything?
The phrase “rose colored glasses” is one that is used most frequently when people are trying to paint a much rosier picture than reality. Hell, when I look at my living room and the mess presented to me you can bet I slap those glasses on faster than you can say 10 second tidy. Things always look better at that point. Sometimes, however, like Mrs. Who’s gift to Meg in “A Wrinkle in Time”, the magic gets used up. We are no longer able to look at things and make them rosy. Sometimes, the glasses need a new prescription.
One way I get my prescription checked is to ask someone unrelated to a situation to have a closer look. It’s kind of like when you need more distance to read something than your arm will allow. It’s time to recognize that you might not be seeing things as clearly as you once did. At that time, use your Millionaire skills and call a friend. See if their glasses still have some magic left. Just make sure they aren’t those rose colored ones you were using. Kind of defeats the purpose.
I am fortunate to have many intelligent, opinionated, perspective sharing friends, of both sexes, to whom I can turn when my glasses might be a bit smudgy. You know what I mean. That fingerprint you haven’t quite gotten around to clearing off that sits in your peripheral vision and distracts you. When you are too close to a situation or have too much at stake, your perspective is skewed. Like you are trying to look through that fingerprint at a diamond. It’s not going to have the same sparkle.
What brings this rose colored metaphor on you ask? My perspective is changing. On my life (in a good way). On my abilities (also in a good way). On my future (in a really good way). To have reached a stage in my life where I can finally accept compliments that I’m a competent, valuable employee that has more to offer than what my smudgy glasses allowed me to see is a huge change for me. It shows me that my vision is clearing. That my wonderful friends have not just been being kind all these years and have given me a gift every bit as valuable as Mrs. Who’s spectacles. That my world is very rosy. And I don’t need any glasses to see that.
My Creative Voice 