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Recently I began an apartment search and saw some pretty awesome places. The place I selected was a new apartment building with all sorts of incredible amenities. Of course, you can’t help but to be impressed on the tour. But then I wondered if anyone really uses the amenities. I thought back to where I lived in St. Louis and the pool I rarely used over 7 years. Or the rock climbing wall at the gym I only stopped by on that first tour of the gym.

The leasing agent giving me the tour made me see things differently though. I asked her if residents really use the amenities and she admitted that it’s not that often. However, she said using them is more about shifting your mindset. Intrigued, I asked her to explain.

Shifting My Perspective and Mindset

She said if you only see the 1,200 square feet you are renting as your home, then you probably won’t use the amenities. However, if you choose to see the entire building as your home, then you have a over 30,000 square feet of living and playing space. In that case, your apartment is simply where you sleep.

Immediately I started imagining what my daily routine could look like. Workouts could partially shift to the on-site gym. After I make my coffee, I could take it downstairs to the lounge with my book. I could start my workday in the co-working space and book the meeting rooms for my calls. In the spring and fall, I can take calls on the terrace. In the evenings, I can take a glass of wine to the rooftop. On the weekends, I can watch a movie in the outdoor movie screen or prepare dinner on one of the grills.

Essentially, I can tie my current daily habits and activities to the amenities and spaces in the building. This way it isn’t about making time, it’s about setting a new location for the same activity that I already have time for.

Taking This Mindset Further

Once upon a time, I spent a lot of time at the local library either reading or studying for my masters program. Back in my undergraduate studies, the entire campus was my home. For the last few years, the ferry is my preferred method of commuting into the city. This one was interesting because I use to say how much I loved San Francisco because of the ferry rides to Sausalito. Then I realized I live 15 minutes walk from the ferry port and can simply choose to use the ferry as my preferred method of commuting into the city.

Thinking about this, I wondered where else I could apply this. The same can go for the neighborhood or town we live in. The benefits included with our jobs. The parks and public spaces nearby. How about our jobs? What are the learning opportunities we have available if we shifted our perspective to see and embrace them? How many opportunities are there right under our noses at any given moment that we miss?

What if we already live in our dream home and we simply don’t see it? What if we already have most of what we want, but we just don’t see it?

There are so many incredible opportunities, resources, and spaces all around us, if we choose to see them all. We can stay in our small space or shift our perspective to enjoy and appreciate everything that is around us. And perhaps we can start by simply integrating some of them into our current daily habits, activities, and routines.