One of my favorite scenes from the movie Blade Runner features Harrison Ford’s character, Rick Deckard, analyzing a series of photographs, using a machine that magnifies the photos to ridiculous proportions.

To manipulate the machine, he calls out a particular quadrant and then says “enhance.”

Enhance.

Enhance enables Deckard to find a minute–practically invisible to the naked eye–clue in the image. Something that would be overlooked without this ridiculous level of magnification. And something that, in reality, enables him to crack the case, beat the bad guys, and get the girl.

Well, you know what I mean.

Enhance. Enhancing perspective.

It allows him to make meaning out of the chaos. To find value in the seemingly worthless. To find meaning.

Now, let’s take a different tact.

I have found that, personally, I often task myself with monumental projects that are nearly impossible to accomplish. Solve world hunger. Find a cure.

But, when I break those monumental projects down into smaller bits, I can find ways of getting the big projects completed, often to my satisfaction.

It’s all about enhancing. Focusing on the smaller elements. By enhancing my persepctive, I’m taking a big problem and zooming in on it. Finding smaller bits. Finding clues. Finding tasks. Blade Runner, I am

Now, why is it that the gigantic project seems unattainable, even though we realize it is simply a series of small tasks? The journey of a thousand miles and whatnot.

Perspective.

Without the correct perspective, we get caught up in the wrong details.

Perspective is the first key to finding meaning.

When you take the appropriate perspective, and delve into the project, you find discrete areas that you are capable of controlling. It’s so small, you can manage. You can control.

There’s a reason that addicts take it one day at a time.

With the correct perspective and the ability to assume control–and the ability to accomplish the tasks–you gain emotional satisfaction.

Meaning and satisfaction? Not bad. Kind of what we’re looking to gain around here.

So, please, noodle on that one a little bit. Because this post is just a preface, to queue up some yet-to-be published posts I’ve been composing. (I noticed that they all had a common theme, so I thought it would be valuable to codify that theme.) In those posts, I’ll be focusing on some concrete examples of this prespective and control concept with which I’m wrestling.

Maybe we’ll both learn something. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll find some ways to find meaning.