The Power of Perspectives

Posted at February 4, 2009

Power Series

The power of perspectives is a little known secret that can help your defy gravity. Your will soar like an eagle once you master it. Learn to look at things from different perspectives and get into the other person’s shoes, hearts, mind and pockets. Believe you me this is a skill worth your time in your quest for success. You will be like a grand master of chess with this skill. You will be able to anticipate what people want thus giving you an edge in life.

Software PerspectivesI work as a computer programmer and my tool of trade is called Zend Studio. One of the features I like about this tool is the ability to change perspectives. I may be working on one view of a software project and if I need to see the project in a different light, I just go and change the perspective.

I wish changing perspectives in life was that easy. I wish understanding people came that naturally for me. I wish understanding women was that easy. I wish understanding customers was a breeze. I wish understanding my neighbors was a gentle slope. I wish understanding you was supple!

Ocean Perspective

One of the companies that has had a big impact on my life is Google. Today they launched what is touted as being one of the most comprehensive 3D maps of the ocean floor.

This will include continental shelves, undersea mountains, volcanoes, trenches, ridges and much more. Wow! Instead of seeing blue ocean maps, we shall now be able to see what is underneath. That is a new perspective. Can you imagine if you had the power to look at situations and see them in new ways? What impact would that have on your life?

Higher Perspective

Sometimes we are so caught up in the moment and day to day’s happenings of our lives that we forget to step back and look at things from a different perspective. Maybe that is all that it would take to cross from failure to success. For many years, man believed that the sun revolved around the earth. Someone came along and decided, wait a minute, it is the other way round.

You could be banging your head on the wall today in your quest for success, but maybe, just maybe, if you looked at your situation from a different perspective you might act differently.

One of my favorite movies is Men in Black. In the final scene of the film, the camera pulls back into the sky through space past our solar system, past millions of stars, ultimately revealing that our galaxy is contained within a circular container resembling a marble. The container is then picked up by an alien hand which throws it, hitting another ‘marble’ which also contains a galaxy. Both marbles are then picked up by the hand and placed into a bag full of galaxy-containing marbles. That scene of the movie made me realize that no matter what I may be going through, there is so much else out there. I interpreted it to mean that there is always something bigger than me and all I need to do is step out of my comfort zone to see it.

Wisdom through Experience

In the traditional African society, elders were highly revered as they were seen as wise through experience. They were known to make better judgment and younger people took their disputes to them for a fair hearing. In modern society, bickering couples go to their marriage counselors, pay them big bucks for the counselor to listen to them, ask the right questions and bring a fresh perspective to their dispute resolution. What the elders and counselors have in common is the ability to leverage their experience to look at the situation from different angles.

You may not be old or a trained counselor, but you can develop the skill of seeing things from different perspectives and add it to your arsenal of weapons of massive success. Like all skills, it takes a commitment to learn, practice and apply. Once you gain this skill, you will have an edge over those that don’t. You will have better relationships and friendships. You will better relate with people if you understand their reasoning, motivations and intentions.

Positive vs. Negative Perspective

How you choose to interpret situations in your life will determine your success. You can either look at life as a glass half full or half empty. If you find yourself thinking of everything in life as half empty, then you need to change your perspective and look at life positively.

Harnessing the Power of Perspectives

1. Business

Companies that understand their customers by putting themselves in their shoes are more likely to succeed. If you run a business or have an ambition to run one in the future, you need to learn to think like your customers and stake holders. I first heard of the power of perspectives while studying towards my degree in Marketing. It is a powerful skill that separates average companies from the very best. I am trying to use that skill on this blog to understand my readers, to see things from your perspective and to write material that is relevant and meaningful to you.

2. Relationships

You need to be able to step out of your frame of mind and emotional state to understand your partner.  You can do this by developing your listening skills and mastering your emotions. Do not be quick to anger. This applies to all sorts of relationships not just dating couples. It applies to your friends, family and colleagues. You can attain success in relationships by improving your power of perspectives.

3. Financial

Next time your bank sends you a pre-approved credit card or gives you a mortgage, ask yourself, why they are doing it. Sorry to burst your bubble, it is not for the love, they are in it for the money. Think like your bank. They call you customer; on their balance sheet they place your mortgage or credit card as an asset. An income producing asset! Be very careful about falling in debt.

4) Careers

When looking for a job, you need to think like your employer. Why would they hire you? Why not the other person? Think like the other job seekers also. Anticipate their moves. How are they going to present themselves? What can you do that will set you apart?

You need to understand what you bring into the table. Understand what everyone else at your work has and think different. Bring a new perspective and find your angle for delivering exceptional value.

Get the Power

You can get the power of perspectives by reading and learning from others. You can learn the teachings of Jesus and think like him even though you have never met him. You can learn to think like your mentor by listening to him. You can learn to think like people in a particular profession by reading journals, articles and books on that profession.

Another way of getting the power of perspectives is to immerse yourself in new situations that make you uncomfortable. Step out of your comfort zone and allow yourself to see things from a different perspective. Gain as much experience as you can from different situations. Listen to successful people and learn to think like them.

Asking questions is one of the best ways of getting the power of perspectives. If something has not been working out in your life, ask yourself different questions. You cannot keep asking the same question and expect to get different answers. Ask your partner a different question. Ask your customers different questions. Ask yourself different questions. The answers may surprise you.

But the mother of all surprises will be how easy this concept is once you learn it, practice and apply it. Purpose it in your mind to ask different questions and look at things from many perspectives.


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