I’m writing this on an airplane while I’m trying to gain perspective on a major life decision. I’m looking out the window from 30,000 feet above the ground. There’s a great deal to see.

I see tiny cars, buildings rising out of the ground, the patterns of streets and highways, clumps of trees, and bunches of lakes. It’s beautiful and a work of art in a mystical, magical, divine kind of way.

It reminds me that there’s a great big world out there with limitless possibilities. Sometimes one has to take a step back, and take the long view to gain a bit of perspective. There are times when we look at our lives from a perspective that’s too close. We get involved in the daily grind. We lose vision. We struggle to see things that are right in front of us. We become so “involved” that we lose all perspective.

It is not only being on a plane that brings perspective, it is getting away all together. We have the opportunity to do that at least once a week. It’s what weekends (or at least “days off”) are made for. It’s what staycations are made for. It’s what vacations are made for. It’s what Sabbath is made for.

Now I see mountains down below out my oval window. They remind me that our getaways, our Sabbaths, our pauses are mountain top experiences designed to bring perspective. When we take the “long view” it brings perspective to the “short view.”

Remember to regularly take some time to take a look at the “long view.”

• What do you want to accomplish by the end of the week?
• With whom do you want to connect by the end of the month?
• Where do you want to be at the end of the year?
• What would you like your life to look like in five years?
• What are the goals you have for your career?
• Do you have hopes and dreams for your retirement?
• What would you like your legacy to be?

What do you regularly do to help you gain perspective and take the long view? Please respond with a comment below.