My Canadian client looked at me through the Zoom screen and said, "My, my, Darc, you're wearing a lot of layers today."

I replied without thinking: "Yes, it's really cold here—around 50 degrees." 🥶🥶🥶

Yes, I know—most of you in northern latitudes are laughing your mittens off right now—just as my client did, who promptly took out her phone and showed me the -15 degree temp (Celsius, of course, but still cold ⛸️.)

"I'd be in shorts and a T if it was 50 degrees here," she said wistfully.

It's a good reminder that the same exact thing can be experienced differently by different people in different places.

We see this all the time in our day-to-day leadership:

• A packed schedule can feel like proof you’re doing a great job . . . or evidence nobody can get anything done on their own.
• A terse email can feel like an attack . . . or like someone writing in a rush who needs a little compassion.
• A new directive can feel like chaos . . . or like the right answer finally appearing.

Fifty degrees isn't good or bad. Neither is Bob in procurement, or the new expense reporting process, or the decision your city council just made. 💸

When you shift the story, you give yourself the opportunity to adjust your perspective. With that, you reclaim your power to choose.

• You can move from “Why is this happening to me?” to “What is this asking of me?”
• From “This is impossible” to “This is unresourced.”
• From “They’re being difficult” to “They’re protecting something.”
• From “I’m behind” to “I need a different definition of ‘done.’”

I wrote about rewriting your story and changing your perspective in chapter 6 of my book, "Red Cape Rescue: Save Your Career Without Leaving Your Job." It's about an 11-minute listen on audio:

So how 'bout YOU, Reader? What's the perspective YOU need to shift right now? Or what feels stuck where you just can't see another viewpoint? Hit REPLY and tell me your story. Hearing from you makes my day (and helps your email provider remember that you and I are both human. ❤️)

I know that on its own, fifty degrees isn't cold or warm. It's just cold for me. As a mentor of mine used to say, "where you stand depends on where you sit"—so I guess I just need to sit closer to the heater. Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are in our world, and thanks for all you're doing to wear your red cape—you matter more than you know.

Always, Darcy

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