I speak/ write/ train a lot about PERSPECTIVE. It is imperative to have perspective so that we are not self-centered. If we do not have perspective, then all we have is our own view.
A toddler learns perspective as empathy. Is my mommy hurt? Is my daddy sad? If so, can I give them a hug to make it better? Did I just do something funny and make everyone laugh and be happy? When they learn to walk, they learn to walk around and see things differently, crouch down for the always cute pic that parents can take while they are trying to get a better view!
So if we explore and learn well with an innocence that gave us our best foundation, why do we stop ourselves later in life from continuing to seek a different perspective? Why do we choose to hold back our instincts to find the best view? Learn the most?
For me, it was an issue of a safe place to land. I didn’t always feel the atmosphere was the safest
to learn and fail. Maybe that was as simple as not knowing what questions I should ask, or not having the time to understand what I didn’t know. Sometimes I was so tired I didn’t want to see a different perspective because it was easier to just do what I knew would work and not ask questions. There are LOTS of reasons why we choose to not seek a different perspective. The concept comes when we realize that we are limiting ourselves and our environment by not seeking new and different perspectives and we can do better at the moment.
What works for me:
I have trusted friends and peers that I can go to when I need to check myself. “Am I missing something here?” or “Tell me where I need to look to see this differently” is something you often hear my tribe saying to each other. Notice we aren’t saying “you’re wrong” or “this is what I would do” but more along the lines of “see for yourself, with your own eyes, a new perspective”.
I ask a lot of questions! I re-trained myself to be an extra level of inquisitive. Similar to a young child, I re-learned to ask extra questions and practiced how to listen for responses and understanding not to respond. These skills are both taught in our executive, Metanoia, training and our sales training, Phoenix.
I love my hobbies. Yoga, photography, running…. They all force me to have thinking time to come to terms with my own sh*t. When you take the time to sit in your sh*t, you don’t run from it, you learn from it. I go to yoga classes with a yogi that pushes me out of my box mentally and physically. I shoot photography with an eye that sees different perspectives, literally, to get the best shot. (See a fun set of shots included from a recent trip and a few different perspectives!) I run to keep my mind clear and healthy so that I can show up as my best self in all the situations I find myself in.
Challenge those around you to see a different perspective in a situation. ANY situation. See the other side, see a different side, see why you may be defeated, see why you disagree, just see it differently…. Then decide what you learned.
