A former colleague and I exchanged texts after a long while. After some catching up and pleasantries, we shared sharing updates from the past couple of years.
He shared that he’d become a manager. That switch led to a lot of self-reflection as he realized just how hard the job is and found himself looking at past managers and past jobs with renewed appreciation.
“Sometimes you have to eat sh*t elsewhere to get a broader perspective” – he wisely remarked.
It reminded me of two things at once.
Joy wouldn’t be good if it wasn’t for pain. Every challenge/difficult situation is an opportunity to gain some perspective and appreciate everything that is good in our lives.
And no amount of talking can help someone (or us) gain perspective. Conversation can bring about awareness maybe. But perspective is a whole different matter.
It isn’t given. It is earned.
