I saw a post the other day on FB that loosely translated from Spanish to, "I finally brought out my winter clothes. Only my socks fit." I thought, "Damn, isn't that some luck?! At least the socks still fit..." My Other (affectionately referred to as such), AKA my boyfriend, was walking by and I told him. He said, "Damn iiiit! ONLY the socks?!"
P E R S P E C T I V E
What is perspective? According to the Oxford Dictionary, perspective is "a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view", and is synonymous with frame of mind, way of looking/thinking, interpretation, among others.
Everything is about perspective. Am I drowning in my responsibilities, or am I just not prioritizing effectively? Am I failing in life, or am I just comparing myself to someone else and now I'm upset with myself because "I should already be there"? Are they actually mad at me, or am I just overanalyzing and overlooking something else?
Success and failure have different, for lack of a better phrase, "fulfillment requirements", and they're usually based on perspective. To one person success is buying a car in general, while the next person feels success is buying that luxury car at any cost. To one person failure could be their kid not knowing how to count (but recognizing their numbers) going into Pre-K, while to the next person failure is their kid not knowing how to read going into Pre-K, and to yet another person none of this matters because "that's why my kid is going to school".
Check it out, though. Your definition of success and failure can change depending on who you are and where you are in life. Your culture, morals, goals, how you were raised, and many other factors will affect your perspective. For example, fifteen year old you says success is a mansion, luxury cars -plural- by the time you're twenty five. However, twenty three year old you knows that is bull shit for the average person, except for the occasional "influencer". If fifteen year old you saw twenty three year old you still in school, with a duct-taped-together car, umpteen thousand dollars in school loans, and a roommate, you would be a failure. But in reality, twenty three year old you is in it for the long haul! Twenty three year old you still wants all that, but now you know the value of things and what it takes to get them. Twenty three year old you has a Bachelor's degree in "whatever" with a minor in "it made sense to tack it on because I was already taking a bunch of overlapping courses, so might as well". Now you're working your way through your Masters degree, you're in a good place mentally, emotionally, physically, and you have a decent enough job. Right now, twenty three year old you is reminiscing about fifteen year old you's perspective of success and failure. You're laughing and admiring your ambition and your many well-earned accomplishments thus far. And all is well enough in your world.
Perspective is powerful. It can change from day to day, from experience, or because someone else shared with you their perspective. Your emotions, stress level, whether or not you're feeling well have a lot to do with your perspective. How you feel at 10AM is probably not the same way you feel at 3PM at the office or at the register. That SOP you were 110% confident that you knew at 10AM is now in question at 3PM. You're tired and Karen has shooketh your confidence. You contact a supervisor and they tell you exactly what you explained to Karen, but it's not making sense anymore.
You take a breath. A deep one. You come back to yourself. Now you're back to 12PM you. You know your shit again and you're able to confidently open a can of whoop-ass educate Karen on policy and all is well. And now it's time for your last break before going home. Way to go. You did it!
Here's a perspective that I take very personally. "It's only $10." Okay, but is it the last $10 until payday in 4 more days, or did you just get paid today? Is it $10 for a 20-sheet pack of white printing paper, or is it a 5-pack of Blue Books for your written final exam for your Master's class? (Do they even still use Blue Books???)
PERSPECTIVE.
What do you think? I know this isn't all encompassing of every aspect, nor is it very deep. But, I think this is just enough to remind us that we all have our own perspectives, opinions, and experiences.