For some reason when I came across setbacks in business or life in general, they appeared from many areas all at the same time like an avalanche. It was so frustrating that I even questioned some of the decisions and paths I took before this.

Then I came across this mental framework called the Third Person View which resonates very well with my some of my personal experience on handling stress. It’s outrageously simple – just withdraw yourself from your current view and switch to a third person view watching yourself perform in real time. It’s kinda like watching yourself starring in an action film. Suddenly, all the problems you face will feel a lot lighter because they somehow become someone else’s problems. This third person view allows you to look at things more objectively without most of the negative emotions attached to the original character.

Very often when I watch an action film, I tend to anticipate what happens next and even strategically “advise” the main actor what to do next to defeat his enemies. By adopting this perspective in real life, I somehow manage to elevate myself towards having a bird’s eye view of the scenario and hey, things aren’t that complicated after all. The most satisfying part is probably the optimism it gives you because like in most movies, things often turn out alright in the end – the hero triumphs over the villain!

Will this work all the time? I don’t know but I do find it more enlightening than the first person view. After all, there is absolutely no harm trying.