How often have you been told – “Look at the bigger picture”. We seldom dwell on these words when we use them, or hear them. Our genetic wiring ensures that for survival we focus on the here and now, and what is right in front of us – to quickly eliminate or solve a problem situation.

Under normal conditions, most of us do think through and look for the best long-term options. Most of our existence although, is here and now and we get used to our tunnel vision to focus on specific ‘visible’ details when resolving a problem situation – often overlooking the bigger picture/scenarios. Another commonly used phrase is – “You cannot see the forest for the trees”. Sometimes defocusing from the trees and looking at the entire forest – broadens your perspective to appreciate the beauty of nature.

All of us have heard the well-known story of the 6 blind men who independently touched and felt different parts of an elephant and were asked to describe the animal. They came up with very accurate descriptions of their “narrow exposure” to the specific body parts they had touched. All were right, but the bigger picture is very different. Because this example references men who were visually impaired – perhaps it is not as applicable. If I were to replace the ‘6 blind men’ with ‘6 people with blindfolds’, then the bigger picture is very applicable. People with blindfolds will never be able to see the bigger picture unless they remove their blindfolds. My reference to the blindfold here is more metaphorical vs real blindfolds shutting off one’s vision. Most of us live our day-to-day lives with thick blindfolds and miss a lot of the beauty, that life has to offer.

All of this goes to re-affirm that while assessing the details of any situation you may be in — take a few steps back and always look at the bigger picture. Without this, your problem interpretation will be limited to only what you see/know. Your problem-solution hence may be limited to what you are aware of, and very possibly may be short-term or sub-optimal. Consider your last doctor’s visit when you were unwell and had a high fever. Your doctor did not just prescribe medicine to lower the fever. They examined you – to look at the bigger picture – and identify the root cause of your medical problem. This may involve additional tests (data collection) as required, to find the best solution for your medical problem. We can all relate to the Software Engineer who rushes to fix a problem using a patch/band-aid solution, vs. the one who spends the extra time to identify the root cause (bigger picture) of the problem and develop a long-term, more complete solution

This approach applies to all aspects of our personal and professional life – when confronted by any obstacle that needs to be overcome. Try, not to rush into a solution for any problem situation – with a narrow view of what appears to be the problem cause. Fix the underlying issue causing the problem, rather than masking just the problem condition. Consider the following situations:

  • Your personal life is unraveling…
    • Surely, all the things which may be going wrong will be right in front of your face – causing you to rethink the path you are on. At such a time, remember this saying – “Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread”. ASK yourself – How much of the unraveling is being caused by you? Is your work-life balance totally off and you are neglecting your family/loved ones? The easier option may appear to run and move on, leaving your problems behind. Perhaps looking at the bigger picture may let you see the multiple beams of bright light shining through the dark clouds. And things are not as dire as they may seem. There is a balance, which you must learn to strike to regain harmony in your life.
  • You are not happy at your job… and you believe you need a change of scenery
    • You must take care of yourself first, instead of the organization, loyalty to your friends at work, etc. ASK yourself — What are you unhappy about? Is it the kind of work you have been assigned? The quality of your deliverables? Is your work environment (manager?) driving you out? Is it the money? What do you have invested in your job (stocks) that you may lose?  Any single answer should not be the decider – unless your situation is so all-consuming, that it is affecting your health. Looking at the bigger picture will help you make a more optimal choice. Fix the current issues and stay or quit and move on.

I enjoy watching the vastness of the bright speckled night sky just as I do, enjoying the splash of red/orange/grey on the horizon, as the sun sets off the waters of the ocean. Yes, what is right in front of you is always very clear and crisp; but remember – in the vastness around it in the blur, are windows you cannot see. You need to open and look through these windows, to see the bigger picture.