Putting Things Into Perspective

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MTL: The Professional Development Programme
Putting Things Into Perspective
PUTTING THINGS
INTO PERSPECTIVE
How small you are – and how great!

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Attribution: All images are from sources where a Creative Commons license exists for commercial use. All icons are on subscription
from thenounproject. All clipart is from free sources. The MTL Professional Development Programme is copyright of Manage Train
Learn.
Putting
Things Into
Perspective
Introduction: It is perhaps no coincidence that the high levels of modern-day stress have
come about at the same time as a decline in traditional beliefs. Many people no longer
have deeply-held principles, values or faiths to turn to when they face the pressures of
work and life. So, a holistic stress management programme also needs to take into account
our spiritual, or belief, lives. In this topic, we’ll show you 7 ways in which you can put your
life into perspective.

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1. BELIEFS
AND
PERSPECTIVE
A belief is a feeling of certainty about something.
Although usually based on an idea for which we
have some evidence, a belief takes root because
of our commitment to it. Because of this
commitment, a belief can have much greater
power than any series of facts. The origin of
much of the stress we feel today comes from
beliefs that don't serve us. Only by re-connecting
to beliefs that do serve us, which are ultimately
spiritual ones, can we put our lives in a true
perspective.
Seeing things from a different perspective
Flickr attribution: /fishyone1/14944304852/

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Perceptions of Work
Much of the work we do we do with
reluctance, distaste and unhappiness. Some
of us find ourselves in work which we have
programmed to perceive as unpleasant,
tedious, and dull.
These perceptions and the resulting
separating emotions of fear, hate, and
boredom create battling strategies with
others, "Them" and "Us" mentalities,
resent-revenge cycles and prolonged
unhappiness: the very stuff of mental stress.
By changing our perceptions about our
work, we can change how we label it, how
we feel about it and how we actually do it.
"There is nothing either
good or bad, but
thinking makes it so."
(William Shakespeare)
Flickr attribution: /mobilestreetlife/4221979005/

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2. "MUST"
BELIEFS
"Must" beliefs are the irrational but deeply-held
beliefs we create in order to safeguard our place
in the world. Because they are externally driven,
these types of belief put constant stress on us.
These "must" beliefs include: I must be
competent at all times; if not, I am a failure. I
must be needed by others; if not, I am useless. I
must have the approval of others; if not, I am
unworthy. I must work out what's going on; if
not, I will feel out of control.
Many of our beliefs are irrational but we still believe them
Flickr attribution: /16210667@N02/16570186645/

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3. SELF-
BELIEF
Self-belief - a belief in our own ability to succeed
and control our destiny - is the strongest factor in
determining whether we will achieve our goals in
life or not. Self-belief is not dependent on
competing with others and overcoming them to
get what we want, but on releasing and realising
our own potential. It generates a feeling that we
are unique and that we can stand on our own
with confidence.
A quiet confidence
Flickr attribution: /quinnanya/7993120385/

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What Happens WhenYou See Work as anAdventure?
We can re-programme our perception of daily work from "chore" to adventure by seeing it as a challenge; a
chance to learn new ideas; or a game. For example, a bartender could aim to be the best cocktail-maker in town;
deliver superior customer service; or create a score of the most boring bar customers.

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4. FAITH
The American psychologist, William James was
the founding father of the self-belief movement.
James saw the modern epidemic of stress as the
result of an excessive focus on our physical selves
and a lack of faith and self-belief in what we are
really here to do. Faith and self-belief shifts the
focus onto others and our role to serve others
and honour our inborn talents and potential. For
James, the antidote to stress was a return to
faith. "Faith is one of the forces by which men
live and the total absence of it means collapse."
Faith means confronting fear and overcoming it
Flickr attribution: /t_fern/14984577405/

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Work as Service
Much of the stress we experience in the workplace originates from an excessive pre-occupation with ourselves
and others with whom we work.
While these situations are not solved overnight, we can
make major changes in how we see them and how we feel
when we shift our perceptions from an internal to an
external focus, from ourselves to others. Then work ceases
to be about us and our survival and becomes an act of
service.
Some of the particularly
strained relationships we
can experience arise out
of...
internal politicking
departmental rivalries
poor or mismanaged
relationships
game·playing
bad supervision and
management of people.

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5.
PHILOSOPHIES
OF LIFE
The ancient cultures of China provide examples
of contrasting philosophies of Man.
Confucianism sees man as the most important
creature on the earth. Through rigid man-made
rules, each individual can attain mastery over his
environment. Taoism takes a different view. Man
is not "better" than his environment, he is of it
and can only be happy by working with it. While
the Confucianist approach to life is the most
alluring, it is also the most stressful. The Taoist
view, on the other hand, is stress-free.
Confucianism is hard;Taoism is soft
Flickr attribution: /vincentraal/5560069580/

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Work as Ritual
When we see work as ritual, no matter how
mundane it may be, it is lifted into something
more meaningful. We do it not for the rewards
but for its own sake. It is like the Zen Buddhist
monk who sweeps the snow from the monastery
steps even while it is snowing - simply because it
is snowing.
• When we see work as ritual, it becomes
absorbing.
• When we see work as ritual, the minutest
details are as valuable as the grandest
gestures.
• When we see work as ritual, we connect with
it, become part of it, are joined in the rhythm
of it.
• When we see work as ritual, we develop a
natural pace and flow and go with it as in a
dance.
"The best work is done without
strain, as if we had no goal in
mind."

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6. THE
SPIRITUAL
OUTLOOK
A spiritual outlook moves one step beyond a
philosophical outlook on life, to consider our
relationship with something beyond anything
that we can rationally conceive of. A spiritual
outlook means an extra dimension to our lives.
When work takes centre place and the only
place, not only does it introduce stress into our
lives; it also signals a spiritual waste ground. "Of
the hundreds I have treated, (for psychiatric
problems), not one over 35 was not that of
finding a religious outlook on life." (Carl Jung)
A spiritual sense may be the last bit of the puzzle to life
Flickr attribution: /lauroroger/8808985531/

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Work as Meaningful
In their book, "Thank God it's Monday", Charles
Cameron and Suzanne Elusorr relate a story told
by John Rassias, professor of languages at
Dartmouth college.
Rassias was attending a university meeting which
was late in starting because the student
representative had not arrived. When the young
man at last appeared he proceeded to do six
chin-ups on the door frame to the obvious
disapproval of the meeting. Rassias bounded
over to him saying: "I like that. I like a man who
has the guts to express his feelings." He then
joined him in the chin-ups before escorting him
to his seat.
Years later, Rassias met the student, now a
successful businessman, and recalled the
incident. The man revealed how on that day he
had had enough of the pointlessness of existence
and had told himself he would give his fellow
humans one last chance to show that life was
worth living. Rassias's simple gesture showed
him that it was.

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You are a Child of
the Universe
Prayers and poems have always been
gateways into our spiritual lives. Reading
them can often act as an instant stress
reliever. The following piece from
"Desiderata" has this effect on many:
"You are a child of the universe, no less than
the trees and the stars. You have a right to
be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
No doubt the universe is unfolding as it
should.
Therefore, be at peace with God,
Whatever you conceive him to be.
And whatever your labours and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
Keep peace in your soul
With all its sham, drudgery and broken
dreams,
It is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."
Flickr attribution: /photones/8545448934/

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7. BE
PLAYFUL
Putting life into perspective is a key to the low-
stress outlook. In "Stress and the Manager", Karl
Albrecht has described the low-stress outlook as
one in which the individual can laugh at him or
herself; likes a role-free life and is able to express
natural needs without apology; acts assertively
in pressure situations; manages a well-balanced
workload; and finds pleasure in simple activities
without feeling the need to justify playful
behaviour.
Don’t take anything too seriously
Flickr attribution: /ciadefoto/3019776218/

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This has been a Slide Topic from Manage Train Learn
AFinal
Word
Many people in the world today do not have a spiritual perspective to their lives. They only believe
in what they can experience with their senses, ie the material world. As a result, they search for
happiness by acquiring more and more material objects, a journey that results in stressful living. It
is only when they allow the spiritual dimension in, that they no longer need to search for
happiness nor experience the stress that goes with it.

Putting Things Into Perspective

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