Home
>
Success
>
Want Better Outcomes? Check Your Perspectives!

Want Better Outcomes? Check Your Perspectives!

In my work with clients, the issue of perspectives comes up quite often. Usually, I have to give my clients a quick refresher on what it is, and why it is pertinent to our discussion. Being good at choosing perspectives is so helpful that I thought it worthy of an article.

What is a perspective?

The definition of perspective that fits best for my discussion is "a specific point of view in understanding or judging things or events." Perspectives are not facts. They can be completely true or completely false. But they have huge influence over our lives.

To illustrate what I mean, one of my colleagues once had to address a problem with his work group where two individuals had completely different perspectives on each other, and were both rigid in their positions. To illustrate the point that there are more than one way to look at something, my colleague had these two individual sit facing each other, then showed them a rubber ball and asked what color it was. One person answered "red" and the other "black".

As it turned out, both of them were correct because the ball was half black and half red. From their respective perspectives, they were both right. But from the other's perspective, they were both wrong.

What I am trying to convey is that there are often many, many different ways to look at a situation, and we can consciously choose what perspective we hold. We can take that ball and choose the perspective that it is red, or it is black, or that it is half red and half black.

Why is that important?

Our perspectives have great influence over us because it impacts how we feel, how we think, and how we act. In other words, perspectives can run our lives.

Here's another story from ancient times:

A man walked into a quarry and ran across a worker. He asked him, "What are you doing?" The worker replied, "I am cutting stone." The man walked on a while longer and ran across another worker, and asked him, "What are you doing?" The worker said, "I am building a cathedral!"

How's that for different perspectives? Both men were doing the same work. Which one do you think was more inspired to go to work everyday?

So, when you are faced with a challenging task, do you want to think of it as cutting stone or building a cathedral? Which perspective will motivate you, or empower you, or get you excited? What kind of effect on the work product do you think these different perspectives will have?

What can I do?

So, here's my advice on using perspectives to your advantage. When you are in a funk, or you feel overwhelmed, or frustrated about something, here's what you do.

1. Notice and tell yourself that you are in one particular perspective. Figure out what it is. Is it the "I am in over my head and can never get this right!" perspective? Decide if this current perspective is helpful or not. If not?

2. Think of a different perspective you can have about the situation. How about the "Big projects are made up of little parts, so I can tackle one part at a time, and before I know it, I'm done" perspective?

3. Think about how you feel about the situation from this new perspective. Does it put you in a good frame of mind?

4. If this one doesn't do it for you, try another one, and another one, and another one until you land on one that works.

5. Once you've found the perspective that you like, choose it and stay with it until you feel the need to change.

From this new powerful perspective, you can go out and build your cathedral. You just have to choose it.

"The circumstances of the event will be essentially the same no matter what perspective you are in, AND your way of looking at the situation has enormous impact."

So, set yourself up for success by being aware of what your perspective is and if it isn't useful to you, choose one that is more helpful. Because the better your perspective, chances are, the better the outcome will be.

? 2004 Inez O. Ng

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Do you need some structure and accountability to propel you forward? Personal Coach Inez Ng has worked with professionals and entrepreneurs to transform their aspirations into reality. While focusing on specific areas, her coaching positively impacts all areas of her clients' lives. Learn more about coaching with Inez at http://www.realizationsunltd.com

disinfecting cleaning services Winnetka ..

In The News:

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Want Better Outcomes? Check Your Perspectives!

Success