Perspective is not difficult to achieve, but it requires two things: the willingness to step out of your comfort zone, and the ability to absorb new information and evolve—or even completely change—previously held beliefs.
In our professional lives, we're often encouraged to specialize, to go deeper and deeper into a narrow field. While expertise is valuable, it can also build walls around our thinking. We become so familiar with our own industry's tools and problems that we can no longer see them from a fresh angle.
The Through Line of Logic
The secret to breaking out of this silo is understanding that there is a through line of logic that can be applied to many seemingly unrelated aspects of the world. The principles of a resilient system, for example, are visible in a well-managed forest, a bustling city's infrastructure, and a scalable software application. The patterns of human behavior that drive a social media app are the same ones you can observe in a local community market.
When you understand these fundamental principles, you can borrow solutions from one domain and apply them to another with incredible results. But you can't see these connections if you never leave your own domain.
A Full Workout for the Mind
This is why you don't always need to pursue a specific topic to expand your expertise. Instead of focusing on just one area, give your mind a full workout.
- Pursue Interesting Hobbies: Learning a musical instrument, taking up woodworking, or playing a strategy board game forces you to learn entirely new rule sets and systems of thinking. You're building new neural pathways that can be applied to old problems.
- Travel to Unfamiliar Places: Traveling isn't just about seeing sights; it's about observing how different cultures and societies have solved the same fundamental human problems: transportation, commerce, community, and governance. It's a masterclass in seeing that your "default" way of doing things is just one of many possibilities.
- Have Conversations with Strangers: Talk to people outside of your industry and social circle. A conversation with a farmer, an artist, or a mechanic can provide a completely different model for thinking about risk, resources, and long-term value.
This flexibility of mind is what informs true perspective. It allows for more creative, thoughtful, and resilient solutions to problems, both personally and professionally. It's how you move from just solving the problem in front of you to seeing the bigger picture and solving the right problem in the best way.