A wrong perspective can block more of your initiatives than any external
obstacle. If your vision is short-sighted, you will not perceive
anything beyond the immediate. If your vision is blurred, you will get
lost in speculative discussions. If you look too far away into the
future, you will lose touch with your environment.
How the wrong perspective can destroy your life
At the turn of
the 10th century, thousands of peasants in Europe believed that the
world was coming to an end. Their incentive to work diminished sharply
and, as a result, agricultural output decreased. High food prices led to
the fulfilment of their prophecy, since many families starved during
the winter that inaugurated the second millennium of our era. A wrong
perspective annihilated part of the population,
Drug addicts and
compulsive gamblers embody an extreme type of short-term mentality.
Their world is restricted to what will happen in the next hours or
minutes. Their minds do not register the physical and financial
consequences of their actions. Their numbed sensitivity ignores danger
signals. Their grasp of reality has shrunk to the minimum. Warnings
cannot reach their ears.
Are the above examples valid? Do you
consider self-evident that man needs a proper perspective of life? If
everybody agrees with this conclusion, is the whole discussion
pointless? Frankly, I don't think so.
Embarking in losing ventures is the antithesis of self-development
If you really believe that
the issue is settled, you might be making a fundamental mistake. The
truth is that, every year, millions of individuals destroy their lives
by embarking themselves on counter-productive ventures.
People
quit hard-earned positions and abandon established professions in
pursuit of unworkable projects. Sometimes, individuals risk their health
or physical survival by getting involved in losing propositions.
Occasionally, such delusions affect a large segment of the population.
These
tragedies happen so often that we have grown desensitized to them. This
phenomenon is so apparent that we have lost the capacity to see it.
Lack of perspective wrecks innumerable human lives. The seriousness of
the problem is deeper than we are willing to admit; its size, bigger
than statistics can register.
Leading a prosperous and happy life
requires that we discard ideas that don't work. Trying to accomplish
the unworkable serves to fuel vanity, not well-being. Nobody will be
helped if you attempt to accelerate change beyond what the environment
can take.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I
refer you to my book The
10 Principles of Rational
Living
Text:
http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com
Image by MJorge under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license
terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us
Thinking must take place before action if such action is to be
productive; planning must take place before implementation if success is
to be attained. Self-confidence needs to be built before it can be
applied; skills must be acquired before they can be employed. How can we
overcome exaggerated fears and take well-calculated steps? In which way
can we increase our chances of success?
Reason is the most
powerful tool for dismantling falsehoods
If we grow convinced that we
stand a good chance of accomplishing our goals, we will become less
worried and more adventurous. Logic is our cardinal ally for contesting
overblown concerns. The best way to face fear is to demonstrate its
irrationality, namely:
Are you exaggerating the likelihood of disaster?
The
intensity of a potential catastrophe is independent of the likelihood of
its occurrence. Salesmen promote insurance policies by painting vivid
pictures of misfortune, but their sales presentations seldom mention the
actual statistical probability of such misfortune taking place.
The perception of risk is also heavily
influenced by cultural stereotypes. Saving rates differ from country to
country according to how citizens see their future; the willingness to
change jobs and move to a distant city is higher in the US than in
Europe; the proportion of the population that invests in the stock
market also varies from country to country.
Are you allowing your emotions to blow risks out of proportion?
Potential dangers need to be quantified in order to be
properly assessed. If emotions take control, they will exaggerate the
negative consequences of risk. On many occasions, the material damages
that people actually suffer are minor compared to the accompanying
psychological discomfort.
Many things we fear arise from stories written by marketeers.
Why do California residents protect themselves more often against
earthquakes than against divorce? Because salesmen market earthquake
insurance very effectively, while at the same time, few couples are
aware that a pre-nuptial agreement can protect them against a
devastating divorce.
Taking the time to assess risks objectively
is essential for making good decisions
If you are considering a
challenging professional move, forget about irrational fears and ask
yourself the right questions: if your new job proves to be a
disappointment, what is the actual likelihood of your becoming
unemployed? Even if you lost your new position, how long would it
reasonably take you to regain employment?
We worry about risks
that have been exaggerated by marketeers trying to promote their
products or services. Those who sell pension plans frequently paint grim
pictures of retired people living in poverty and rightly so. There is
no reason why salesmen should refrain from offering their insurance
policies, but it is up to us to appraise risks according to their true
gravity.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I
refer you to my book The
10 Principles of Rational
Living
Text:
http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com
Image by RA_photography under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license
terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us
