Business strategists often encourage people to think at the “30,000-foot level” as a way to see the big picture and overarching view. It sounds like good advice, but I recently flew in a jet at that altitude and found the view to be blurry with the ground obscured by clouds. What I could see was so small as to not be discernable.
I also recently was a passenger in a 2-seater prop plane that flew at 1,000 feet. From there, the view was magnificent. It was clear enough that I could literally count the cows as well as follow the creeks, see houses and overlook an entire valley. The 1,000 feet view provided me with a context that could be meaningful.
Sometimes, we set goals so high that they are too lofty to be achievable. I think that aspiring to a 30,000-foot view is one of those times. You don’t need to look out the window of a metaphorical jet; just get high enough to see your landscape from a prop plane or even a balcony. You need perspective, not altitude sickness.
