I recently attended a fun, interactive watercolor class. Now, I must tell you that it took a lot for me to sign up. The last paint class I took ended with the instructor fixing A LOT of my canvas. When I say I struggled, it is not an understatement.

This time was different. Very different.

It didn’t start different, as I noticed my anxiety and nerves from the beginning. I noticed my negative voices trying to show up: perfectionism, comparison to others, the feeling of not being good enough. Seeing them for what they were, I invited a new perspective of fun and full-on presence to the experience. 

As I put my brush to paper and started making ornaments, I experienced some initial frustration as I tried to make them look “just right” and similar to the example. That’s when the amazing instructor came over and said, let me show you something. She stepped back 2-3 feet and held up my painting. It looked amazing. Other people in the class noticed too. It was the same with their paintings. When you gave it a little space and distance, it looked even more amazing.

I started asking myself these questions:

• How often do we get too close to something so that we don’t see how AMAZING it really is? 

• How often do we get too close to something that we miss the solution right in front of us?

• How often do we get too close to something that we miss the bigger picture?

All of these things are more common than we think.

Here are a handful of gifts I’ve experienced in the distant view:

• Perspectives that provide wisdom and insights
• New creative approaches 
• Acceptance
• Seeing the beauty in something
• Recognizing that the situation is better than I thought
• Space to think and process

Where are some places in your life that could benefit from a little distance? What are the ways you could give yourself this distance? I’d love to hear about them!

Keep SHINING in Your Brilliance!