Contributed by Alexandra Sissulak

Change is something that is as inevitable as death and taxes. It just is.

What if there were a way to circumvent the friction and discomfort that accompanies change?

There is.  It’s called gaining a New Perspective.

Maybe you find yourself in a rut, missing opportunities for growth, or unable to see a clear way through the gauntlet of roadblocks and challenges that block the way forward. Consider seeking a new perspective and you may discover a higher degree of certainty, clarity, and most of all, happiness.

Happiness and personal growth are on the other side of fear. It is important to remember that fear is intangible, a reaction to the stimulus within the environment, and the human response to uncertainty. Remove the uncertainty and the fear is neutralized.

How is this accomplished?  Instead of going through the fear, what if there were a way to bypass it completely and find the certainty you seek?

We go through some parts of life like we’re swimming with the sea turtles in the East Australian Current, happy to let it sweep us through our daily lives. The current is security and comfort. Escaping the current to explore the rest of what life has to offer is extraordinarily difficult and requires a fair bit of effort.

Removing yourself from the current can be as simple as sitting at another seat at the same table of life. When you sit in a different chair, you naturally gain another perspective of the situation. You have the distinct privilege of witnessing the same things you usually do, with one very good exception. Not only can you see other things around you that you may have missed previously, but also you have the added benefit of seeing yourself like you would on a big movie screen. Seeing things from this new perspective leads to huge gains in personal growth.

Changing your point of view enables you to see everything through a different lens. New perspectives are free and unlimited. It is also painless; despite what your fear wants to tell you. Doing this will aid in seeing the things you may have missed before while sitting in the same place you always have. These missing details are what is needed to light the paths that leads to personal growth.

This small shift in perspective lets you see around the fear or anxiety preventing you from finding a way through the gauntlet of challenges. Gaining a clearer view of what may lie on the other side eliminates uncertainty.

Fresh perspectives are like having an arsenal of lenses at your disposal. You have a macro lens which helps you zoom in and capture the tiny, infinitesimal details and with a telephoto lens you can pan all the way out to see the big picture, in all its beautiful grandeur.

The practice of sitting at another seat in the room and looking through different lenses may be a struggle at first. Seeing life from new perspectives makes the daunting task of leaving the current of your normal day-to-day life become a little less scary.

It’s possible new fears like “what if I don’t like what I see?” may intrude into your thoughts, this is insecurity talking. Consider entering the mindful space of impartiality and non-judgment when you’re looking through the various lenses.

Through the practice of viewing life through various lenses, sitting at different seats at the table, or standing in another place in the room without judgement, you can find yourself on the other side of fear, coasting through the perils of change, and your personal growth will be exponentially greater than before.