Not many would put organization and perspective on a two-armed scale and think they would balance each other out. Are they even related?

After two years of taking coaching courses, I now preach firmly that you can’t have successful organization without a thorough look at your perspectives. When I first started my business 5 years ago, this wouldn’t have been my approach. Now, I hold out the two-arm scale and say with confidence that organization and perspectives go hand in hand with having a balanced home, life, and mind.

Let me explain.

Organization is creating function in a space. Perspective is seeing what is affecting the big picture. You need the big picture before you can create the function.

An oil change
A metaphor for you. You can take your car to get an oil change. It runs well until the next oil change. You can go one step further and learn how to change your own oil, and it will also run well until the next change. But, when you change the oil thinking that will repair the leak in the radiator, your car won’t run well, if at all. You need to step back and learn how the whole car functions in order to learn (and see) how to keep it running smoothly.

This is the benefit of perspective. You can organize a space by purging and rearranging, but it doesn’t change how the space operates in the big picture. You need to step back, assess the bigger picture and create self-awareness. Perspective helps you see the cause and effect. It helps you learn about your own habits so you can create change for the long term. A quick oil change will only get you so far.

The mountain view
I love to hike. When I hike in my hometown of Phoenix on Cambelback Mountain, I am always tricked into thinking I’m almost at the top. It’s a deceiving trail because the trail winds and the small peaks with beautiful views give the illusion that you’re near the top. But, if you keep climbing you will finally arrive at the true top of the mountain, and you can see a 360 view of the city. It’s stunning. I love sitting up there and taking in the city and being able to see for miles. A view I wouldn’t have otherwise had if I’d stayed at the bottom of the mountain or stopped at the small peaks. The 360 degree perspective gives a new appreciation for the hard work it took to get to the top and an awareness that there is more than one view point of the city scape.

This is life. We can see one viewpoint from where we stand today. But there are many other angels and panoramas that we are missing out on if we don’t work to see things from the top.

Per-spec-tive. Long word with a lot of power.

How to gain perspective?
Perspective comes from creating self-awareness; the planning before we dive into organizing. We need to explore our new awareness which leads to action, and therefore learning and re-adjusting. The re-adjusting and awareness gives us new perspective. What we once thought was truth is now being adjusted based on being mindful and open to possibilities. Ask, what is working in the space? What’s getting in the way? What has power over my thoughts? What life do I want to live?

What mountain view do you want to see from the top?

Coaching conversations help build and gain perspective. They create self-awareness and transform how you organize. Organization is much more apt to be maintained successfully long-term, if you can see the big picture before diving into a project. Coaching with a professional happens at on-site organizing sessions and via phone sessions. Learn about the other benefits of coaching here.

There is always a new perspective to explore that could help you get unstuck and move forward. Contact Michelle, Organizer + Coach, to explore your perspectives.