Three Reasons We May Want to Zoom Out

Zoom is such a big thing these days. It’s a word that implies close up proximity. When we are on zoom calls, our faces are front and center. Those close ups are a lot to take in!

There’s not a lot of options in those kinds of zoom situations. But in everyday life, we do have options. And one of them is zooming out.

I originally started this blog as a way to share perspective. The wide angle is the lens which pulls in context and dials out details. Whether it’s the meetings, or the news, or social media, context is missing in so much of what we see and hear today.

Switching out our lens can give us the break we need when life gets overwhelming.

IT GIVES A CHANCE TO REFOCUS

When we are zoomed in, we can only see that “one thing.” It is usually something we wish could be different, something often out of our control. When we step back and see it against a backdrop of many other things, we see more clearly. When I stand in my garden beds, I see the weeds. But when I stand on my deck, that weed goes out of focus pretty quickly and I can see the beauty of the whole yard. Life is always always about more than one thing, even if the one thing is consuming all our attention.

IT GIVES US A CHANCE TO REFRAME

When we are zoomed in, we often see only one side of a story. If we just had a relational challenge, we can be upset with the other person for any number of reasons, often attributing motives we assume are there. But if we step back, we can see other possible scenarios. We can give the benefit of the doubt. We can make it not about us. We can set it aside and give it time. We can breathe.

IT GIVES US A CHANCE TO RETHINK

When we are zoomed in, we often see only one option. Our emotions and our ego are often wrapped up in how things affect us. But when we zoom out, we can see there are options. We only have one chance at a first reaction. If we zoom out, we can see that saying the first thing that comes to mind might feel good at the time but there are always consequences for our choices. When we have a bigger perspective, we can see how things might play out more easily. If we decide that something needs to be addressed, we will have had some time to consider how it should be handled. 

Whatever we are facing, we can ask ourselves if we need to zoom out a little. Are we obsessing with details, seeing only obstacles, and/or dealing with increasing negativity? We may need a new view. It is why gratitude, meditation, and breathing exercises work. They all get us out of our small frame. They lift us above the details and offer us a chance to see a bigger picture—one with fewer weeds, lesser faults, and even diminished wrinkles. 

Cheers to wide angle living and the beauty we just might see through a bigger lens.