Getting Altitude can Change Attitude and Perspective

by Steven Terry

Recently I flew to the Middle East to deliver some of our EDGE classes to one of our largest clients. It was a 17 hour flight with several stops on the way. On the last portion of the flight I managed to get a few hours of shut eye during the night. For some reason I suddenly woke up and opened the window shade to witness Baghdad, Iraq lit up across a vast open darkness, some 36,000 feet below. I remember contemplating this sight and wondering how strange it felt to be above this city of tremendous challenges and pain. I witnessed several possible explosions below and thought to myself what it would be like to be at ground zero amidst all of that. I felt this change in my consciousness that gave me a different perspective at that moment. I was tired, jet lagged, cramped in economy seating and eating meals that were not the healthiest. And yet I was so grateful to be safe on board a flight so far away from the dangers of war. This changed me and I sent the city positive thoughts like a beam of light from the jetliner to the ground.

I have always believed that getting altitude can often change our attitude. There are many stories of climbers or astronauts who, after seeing the world from the top of Everest or from space, have changes of heart or mind and it changes their perspective on life and its problems. For me, seeing Baghdad from high up changed something inside of me in that moment and frankly has continued to be present for me weeks later.

This experience is very much like what we teach in the EDGE class, about getting a 30,000 foot view of our projects (and life) and creating effective and motivating desired outcomes that lift us up to continually see the big picture. When I start a project, I always take a step back so that I can see the whole picture, get altitude on it and begin “with the end in mind” and compose a successful outcome. This helps me to focus on what I want and sets the tone for the project.

The futurist, Alvin Toffler, wrote, “You've got to think about big things while you're doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.” I quote this in my classes and believe it sums up the connection we must have between the big picture and the small details in our lives.