It seems to be pretty strongly ingrained in human nature for us to have a point of view, to believe it to be correct and stand up for it. Sometimes we allow ourselves to be persuaded otherwise but more often than not we think the way we see things is the way they are.
I’m sure we can all relate to that in terms of having argued with somebody and felt the frustration that they can’t (or won’t) see your point of view.
In fact this inability to see things from a different perspective is so strong that it is what causes violent actions, or racial and religious hatred. It is how wars can start. It is how marriages can break down.
And that’s the issue – the way we see things. This is what becomes our “truth”. We see things one way and find it almost impossible to see things from a different perspective.
So how do we break this mould? How do we change the habit?
The answer is so simple but so difficult to do. And it is simply this; we choose to. We make a conscious choice to try on a different point of view. We give ourselves permission for a moment to stand in the other persons shoes and to see things from there and we choose to leave our own perspective behind for a moment whilst we experience theirs. Or we decide to look at our problem from a different perspective. How many times have you heard the saying “There are no problems only opportunities” ? That is a great example of using a different perspective. Looking at an issue from the viewpoint of “this is a problem” or “this is an opportunity”. The issue is exactly the same. Nothing about it has changed. What changes is the perspective. Rather than a negative or blocker it becomes an enabler to go somewhere new.
So my challenge to you is to try on some new perspectives. See how they feel. Play with them and see how using a different perspective can change your possibilities and potential outcomes. See if there is a different “truth” in the situation.