07/03/2026
Once upon a time, Carl was on a rafting trip on the Salmon River in Idaho. He was with a group of experienced river guides, but it was his first time being in charge of his own boat.
He was worried.
But then his experienced friends taught him something.
When they approached a big rapid, they would stop and get out of the boats to have a look. At river level, it was impossible to see a way through. But when they took him up the river bank to a place above the river, they could see a lot more.
It was amazing how clear the path through the rapids became with a bit of perspective. Carl started wondering where else this technique might apply—how he might gain perspective on other seemingly unsolvable issues in his life.
Sometimes Carl gets perspective by going for a walk or a run. Some people practise yoga or meditate. He has a friend who just writes the things he’s worried about down on a piece of paper and sets it aside for a bit.
All these activities provide distance and space. They put you in a place where you can see more of the problem than you could at river level.
With the benefit of space, time, and perspective, the problems we worry about change. The energy around them dissipates. Our point of view shifts us from worry to options.
In other words, perspective is how we learn to see the forest for the trees.
