What’s your lens?

Angie Flynn-McIver

Angie Flynn-McIver

For several years, I sent out a blog to readers a few times a week. These posts gave pointers about how to practice, shared relevant stories, and provided a way for people to connect with my coaching approach. In 2022, I wrote my book, Before You Say Anything, which brought many of these ideas together in one place. The blog posts have continued to resonate with clients and readers, and they're useful as a quick reminder, so I'm including them here!

As part of my recent call to readers for their thoughts and insights, reader Catherine shared that she has been thinking a lot about her work through various lenses. Her example was “I am looking at communication through the lens of connection. Or through the lens of efficiency. Or through the lens of….”

An aspect of this I find particularly helpful is that a lens helps us narrow our focus. We can look at a big topic, like “telling your story,” and determine the best way to approach it by deciding on a lens.

Do I want to look at my story using a lens of “overcoming challenges”? Or maybe “adventure”? What if I use a lens of “resiliency”?  These lenses, or themes, can help us make choices about what to include in our sprawling, ever-evolving stories.

What lenses are you using today?

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