3 Questions to Elevate Your View and Move Your Business Forward

Have you ever climbed to the top of a watchtower or stopped at a scenic overlook? I love them. I love being able to see for miles. There is so much clarity and perspective gained in these places.

But it takes a pause in your travels to do this.

You pull over by the side of the road while all the other cars continue their journey. It can feel like a waste of time until you get to the top. Then you take in the view and feel a bit more grounded as you gain a sense of where you are in the world.

What does it mean to elevate your perspective in your professional life?

It involves the same steps.

First, you consciously choose to pause. And, yes, it’s HARD to do. It feels wrong, even irresponsible because your list of tasks is already overwhelming. No one around you is pausing. They’re all getting on with their day. When you pause, it feels like everyone else is getting ahead while you are left behind.

And in business, that is a terrifying feeling.

It can take time for your mind to settle and get on board with what you’re trying to do.

Your mind is used to the constant chatter of what you’re doing and why. It’s used to analyzing and judging everything and everyone around you. When you stop doing that, the only thing left to analyze and judge is yourself and your own thoughts, which can be an uncomfortable place if you’re not used to it.

But this is the work of mindfulness.

It’s pausing, slowing down the mind, and gaining perspective on the life YOU are living. Once the mind slows down, questions can be a great tool to help you elevate. And this is where the magic begins.

Here are 3 questions you can use to gain perspective on your current situation:

What is the focus of my thoughts?

What thoughts keep running through your head? And can you do anything about the situation? It’s easy to keep replaying a conversation from yesterday. You wish things had gone differently. You’re disappointed or frustrated. Your mind gets stuck in a loop of what happened, but it’s not moving you forward. Your mind is just hitting replay.

If you can take steps to change things today, then focus your energy on those actions. It might be as simple as accepting that things didn’t turn out as you’d hoped. This question asks you to choose between what you can and cannot do.

Where am I headed?

Ugh! This can be a horrible question. It means you own the journey you are on. It is so much easier to put your fate in someone else’s hands and then blame them when you are miserable. But there is power in this question. Your own power. Your own choices. Your own path.

When you pause and elevate, you gain perspective on the trajectory of your life. Do you like the place you are headed?

Regardless of how hard it might be to change your path now; it will be that much harder in the future. You will be further down a road that holds no meaning for you and further from what you desire. So allow yourself to see the path clearly and think about whether or not it’s the right path for you.

What is blocking my path?

If you have ever been in a traffic jam, the biggest question is how far ahead is the roadblock? If the entire road is blocked, then you need to turn around and find another path. If the path forward will be cleared soon, then it makes more sense to just wait a bit longer.

Mindfulness gives you the tools to recognize what is blocking your path. Fear? Wrong choices? Or maybe you just need a bit of patience. The way forward opens when you understand the obstacles in your way.

When you are willing to pause in your day and elevate the view of your life, you gain clarity. You see where you are in the world. And, most importantly, you sense the direction of where you belong and the path you want to be heading.