It’s Hard to See the Bigger Picture When You’re Standing in the Frame

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You have been there. Stuck in a problem, tangled in emotions, or unsure of what’s really going on.

Friends may offer helpful insights, mentors might spot the pattern instantly, yet to you, it feels like wandering in a fog.

Why?

It’s hard to see the bigger picture when you’re standing in the frame.

This simple statement captures a profound truth. When you’re too close to something, your perspective is limited.

Whether it’s a career decision, a relationship issue, or a personal struggle, being “in it” makes it difficult to “observe it” objectively.

“When you are in it, you cannot observe it.”

Stephen Lesavich, PhD

The Challenge of Perspective

Imagine staring at a painting from just a few inches away. You can make out the brush strokes, perhaps the colors and texture. Can you see the full image? That’s impossible until you take a few steps back.

Life works the same way. When you immersed in a situation, we’re often flooded with emotions, assumptions, and self-narratives that cloud your judgment.

It’s only with distance and a change in your point of view that clarity begins to emerge.

Why You Struggle to Step Back

1. Ego attachment: In psychology, you ego is your sense of yourself that protects you in the external world. It helps you function socially and make decisions that balance impulses and expectations. Your ego often gets entangled with your experiences. When you are in the middle of a challenge, you don’t just see the situation as something happening, you see it as who you are. The truth is, you are not your problems. Your true identity is deeper and more resilient than any single moment.
2. Fear of what we might see: Gaining a new perspective from a new point of view can be uncomfortable. What if stepping back reveals something that you don’t want to see? That kind of fear is a very powerful negative response. Many times staying immersed in the problem feels safer than facing what objectivity might uncover if you step back look at if from a different perspective.
3. Busy and distracted: You are so caught up in reacting that you forget to reflect. Modern life doesn’t leave much room for reflection. You are constantly bombarded with information, tasks, and notifications. You run from one obligation to the next, barely pausing to breathe or think deeply. This constant motion keeps you stuck in a reactive mode, never giving you the space to step out of the frame and look at the bigger picture.

Tools to Step Out of the Frame

To gain perspective, we need to intentionally create distance. Here are a few tools that can help:

1. Change you perspective to that of a neutral observer: Albert Einstein was quoted as saying “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.“  Thus, you cannot observe the situation, event or person clearly if you don’t change your perspective and conscious to that of a neutral observer. A neutral observer is someone who perceives a situation, event or person from a new higher point of view and a higher and expanded level of consciousness.  A neutral observer views the situation, event or person, from a perspective of not interfering with the situation, event or person. A neutral observer also views the situation, event or person without any intent to change or alter the situation, event or person.
2. Apply discernment to from your perspective of a neutral observer: Discernment is defined as “a perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual guidance and understanding.” For example, when you apply discernment to a situation, event or person, you are seeking facts and truths about the situation. Discernment is about seeking understanding and insights about a situation, event or person.  Discernment is about seeking the truth about a situation, event or person. Discernment is about making a decision about a situation, event or person without being influenced by the behavior of others.
3. View the frame of your life as part of a larger picture: Recognizing a larger picture and the frames of your live that make up those patterns helps you break cycles rather than stay trapped in them. When you step back and view your larger picture, you can begin to see the recurring themes that shape your experiences, how you respond to stress, how you seek validation, how you avoid discomfort, etc. These frame are not random, they are patterns that make up the larger picture of your life. Recognizing them from a neutral observer perspective with discernment allows you to break unconscious cycles rather than repeat them. Your life isn’t just a series of isolated events. It is a rich, dynamic a living canvas.

Changing your perspective by stepping out of the current frame of your life and viewing the larger picture will help you create a positive impact in your life.

Out There on the Edge of Everything®…

Stephen Lesavich, PhD

Copyright © 2025 by Stephen Lesavich, PhD.  All rights reserved.

Certified solution-focused life coach and experienced business coach.

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