Note to My Future Me
A Matter of Perspective
A while ago I was confronted with a huge dilemma in a project, which led to a significant delay and a serious budget overrun, that nearly killed the entire project. When I was on the verge of frustration, I remembered an important lesson from my time as an soldier:
Whenever I’m confronted with a problem, I start with one decisive question:
Which perspective do I choose?
Often, you can’t fully control how personally affected you are or how deeply involved you become.
Let me explain what I mean more clearly:
Air Force, Navy, Army
This question always reminds me of a comic I once saw at an army facility.
It showed three scenes—each with a soldier from a different branch of the military:
In the first, a fighter pilot sits calmly in his jet, looking down from a safe distance at a raging battle below. His thought:
“What a mess.”
In the second, a patrol boat commander is in the middle of combat, visibly tense, thinking:
“I hope we make it out of this mess alive.”
In the third, an infantry soldier is in a trench, in the middle of the fight, rain pouring down.
Unlike the others, he’s grinning. His thought:
“I love this mess.”
At the time, I dismissed it as a cliché—just a cheap army joke at the expense of the other branches.
But over the years, a more valuable perspective emerged:
Suffering you choose is easier to endure than suffering imposed on you.
We can’t always avoid problems or choose them.
But we can choose how we relate to them.
And that makes all the difference.
What to do
- Choose your perspective—and your inner level of involvement—deliberately. Own it and work on it. Don't default to frustration - decide how you want to show up.
- Prioritize short-term discomfort over long-term regret.
Embrace difficulty consciously. Lean into hard things while you still have a choice. -
Keep your sense of humor.
We tend to magnify our problems and lose distance. Humor helps you stay resilient. (However stay away from cynicism and sarcasm.)
What problem is currently keeping you up at night?
And which perspective are you choosing?
#perspective #embracethechallenge #notestomyfutureme
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