Gaining Perspective

Copyright © 2004 by Don Blohowiak
Don@LeadWell.com   www.LeadWell.com 

Every one of us at times sees ourself as the center of the universe. You probably know at least one person who seems permanently fixed in that annoying, self-aggrandizing but very limiting perspective.

As management consultant Aviv Shahar observes,"So much of our time is spent in the preoccupation with how everything impacts us. Is this person for or against me? Is this situation advancing or hindering me?"

"Asking such questions is part of our natural survival instinct," writes the former Israeli fighter pilot, "yet the way in which we answer them often becomes a self-fulfilled prophecy."

Your view of the world -- and your perception of your place within it -- inevitably colors your entire experience. As Shahar notes, "Initially, most situations and people are not on your side or the other side -- they are simply what they are unto themselves."

But you can only take advantage of that reality if you truly appreciate it. And seeing things as they are, from an accurate neutral perspective, often means getting past your own prejudices and self-limiting views, be they grand or small.

ACTION to Take

• "Re-look, re-view, re-spect" the events in your life, suggests Aviv Shahar, to "find learning, opportunity, and meaning" in them.
  
  
• Practice consciously stepping back into the observer's mindset. Make a habit of suspending judgment to see what is.
  
  
• Remind yourself of the admonition: "It's so not about you." Repeat as necessary.
  

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Copyright © 2005, Don Blohowiak, Lead Well Institute

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