Important Rule for Life: When in doubt, zoom out.

Being perpetually zoomed in creates two challenges:

1. Struggle feels bigger than it really is.
2. Growth feels smaller than it really is.

The 10,000 foot view provides perspective—on the manageable nature of your struggles and…

Mental time travel forces new perspective on the present.

Kid having a meltdown? Terrible, but how much will you long for these moments in the future?

Stressed at work? Tough, but how much would your student self have longed for a paying job?

Perspective creates gratitude.

It’s easy to let the shifting goalposts rob you of present joy and fulfillment.

You say you’ll be happy when you achieve X, but then you do it and it just becomes 3X or 5X.

Zooming out and back reminds you of how much your younger self would appreciate where you are now.

As a rule of thumb, if you ever say “I’ll be happy when I get X”, it’s safe to assume you won’t be.

Happiness is an inside job.

You’ll be happy when you’re happy, not when you achieve some external reward.

Zoom out to reclaim perspective.