It’s hard to believe we are winding down yet another year! Of course, this is nothing new. We share similar observations every year around this time and sometimes along the way. My beloved grandmother, Nanny, used to say, “Terri Lynne, don’t wish time away” as I eagerly waited for my birthday, the next holiday, or summer vacation to come along. Even as a child, I knew this was a nugget of wisdom to hold on to.
These days, most of us aren’t wishing time away as much as we are wishing we had more of it. More time to enjoy life with family and friends, more time for hobbies and leisure activities, and, for many of us, more time to invest in our careers and growth. At the end of the day, it’s all about perspective.
I’ve never designated a word for the year, but I think I may try it out in 2025. My word is perspective. Its meaning is defined as a mental view or prospect. On the surface, this definition hits the nail on the head, but what does it mean to really apply perspective and get in the weeds with it? What makes perspective so powerful and a literal game-changer?
I share various perspectives via the Level Up blog. From personal and professional development to employment law and compliance, there is truly never a shortage of perspective. One blog that comes to mind is Take Work-Life Balance to the Next Level of Integration. I wrote it several months back in response to hearing so many people complain about struggling with what we know as “time management,” along with navigating a busy schedule of my own.
Sometimes, we write about what we need most. My perspective – minimize resistance between our responsibilities and obligations by embracing the concept of work-life integration. Check out the blog for the deep dive version, but it’s certainly a fitting topic overall as we wind down another year wishing we had a little more time to hold on to.
On the flip side, there may be some folks who are glad to see 2024 be on its way out. Experiences, priorities, values, and beliefs are all heavy contributors to our frame of reference. Depending on where we land, you and I could have a very different perspective about the year 2024 because of our unique frame of reference. It’s what we do with this acknowledgement that makes perspective so powerful and a potential game changer if we allow it to be.
I’m so grateful to have received that nugget of wisdom from my grandmother about not wishing time away. Nuggets of wisdom are all around us each and every day. It’s stopping to not only pay attention but to actually do something with what we learn that allows us to shape and broaden our perspective.
Fortunately, I was paying attention earlier this year when Mel Robbins had Lisa Bilyeu on her podcast. Lisa shared a life-changing story of how incorporating the frame of reference concept brought peace and understanding to a challenging situation that impacted her personal and professional life. The wisdom she shared was so realistic, and after years of working in human resources, I can see this practical concept being a game changer for teams, managers, and almost anyone needing to collaborate and wanting to thrive together.
I decided to refine and incorporate the frame of reference concept into almost all of Level Up’s training and development materials from manager development to communications and conflict management and beyond. I was also able to encompass the frame of reference in the employment law courses that I teach, so we not only talk about the laws themselves but also the aspect of employee relations and solution-seeking that requires consideration of how others perceive situations and circumstances.
What’s your word for 2025? Try it out with me, and let’s see if the experience brings a few extra nuggets of wisdom into our worlds. Gaining perspective is not always easy. It can be challenging to acknowledge and attempt to understand experiences, values, priorities, beliefs, and accompanying behaviors that aren’t our own. The key is realizing that we don’t have to always agree to recognize perspective, but we must show up with awareness and a willingness to go beyond the surface and get in the weeds.
As Ferris Bueller told the world way back in the day, 1986 to be exact, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” What better way to sum up the significance of broadening our perspective.
*A note about the image. I mentioned my grandmother’s wisdom and decided to celebrate her in this blog. We had a special connection with pink roses. Sure enough, when I bought my house 11 years ago there was a pink rose bush that blossomed that first spring and ever since. Photos provide a unique perspective, capturing moments through a lens that reveals details we might otherwise overlook. Connections on my personal social media accounts are inundated with photos of my beautiful “Nanny roses”, so I want to take this opportunity to share with you, too. Thanks for reading!
