Pandemic pounds are just one of the new post-virus terms I hear a lot about, and have
personally experienced…but there are ways to actually make this virus-laden
season work for you. One lies in broadening your horizons. All this month we’ve
focused on ways to make yourself the best possible employee or candidate for a
new position. One of the most basic was is to use this time to actually become more
than you were, and of course, I’m not talking about poundage.
Broadening your horizons may sound vague but think about it for just a minute. Look
outside your window, and describe the scene to yourself. You may see a
neighbor’s home, a neighborhood, or if you’re lucky, a skyline…but that’s your
focus for much of each 24 hours. You focus on what you see. Broadening your
horizon relates to stretching your vision beyond what you can see to what your
can infer or envision beyond the scope of your physical vision.
Periscope vision is contrived, limited, distorted. It is a perversion of reality in some
ways, isn’t it? Telescopic vision is almost unlimited and may be too far beyond
your field of influence. It includes things liken broadening your circle of
friends and trying new things. It is a wee bit scary and a whole lot exciting,
but it is always eye-opening.
- Realize that others see you and you are a role
model, whether you like it or not. - Expand your goals.
- Find a mentor to guide you.
- Take a good look at where you want to be in five
or ten years. Adjust your actions accordingly. - Develop a reading list, and include
mind-stretching titles. - Join a professional or interest group that
challenges you. - Subscribe to a podcast channel that makes you
think.
Broadening your horizons includes taking risks. Trying. Failing. Trying again. I love that Benjamin Mee quote
from We Bought a Zoo: “All it takes is 20 seconds of insane courage, and
great things will happen.” I believe it. Step out into the great unknown in a
controlled way. You don’t have to become a stunt pilot. Just learn to roller
skate. You don’t have to enroll in Harvard. Just take a course at a local
community college. One tiny step into the great unknown can take you somewhere
very great. I loved the life story of Barbara Grufferman, who challenged herself to a healthier life by preparing for a marathon.
Look around you and begin talking to people you meet, and learn their life stories. I think you’ll be amazed at how many have set a goal and reached it, despite overwhelming odds. You may do
the same. Look outside your own narrow confines and imagine life a shade
differently and set a goal. It begins with broadening your horizons.
