A lesson I am repeatedly reminded of is the importance of zooming in and out in life. It is no secret that life is all about ups and downs. Our highs are high and our lows are low. This is the nature of things. It’s like a line of life that constantly moves up and down like a seismograph used for earthquakes.

Now there are two options: you can zoom in or zoom out. Zooming in means you look at how your life is going day by day. If you are on a low, life can feel complicated, uneasy, and difficult. You are comparing one bad day to another.

But you have a choice. You can zoom out. Zooming out means you look at your life from the perspective of multiple years. How does your life compare to 3-5 years ago? And the good news is this: even if you are on a local low currently, that low is most likely much higher than your highs a couple of years ago. Life is about growth and progression as you slowly, yet steadily move to a brighter future. Life does not stand still.

Just like in the picture above, if you zoom in and compare point A (high) to point B (low), things may feel bad. You feel stuck and don’t know where to go in life. But if you zoom out and compare point C (high) to point D (low), things are not that bad after all. You’ve come a long way in your journey.

So whenever you feel stuck and without orientation, think about zooming in and out in your life. This will give you a meaningful perspective and help you see things the way they are: relative.