I love to travel. Just the thought of being able to see and experience different countries and cultures energizes me. The unknown of travelling though is a different matter altogether. It causes more than a little bit of anxiety in me. I value structure and routine; it is comfortable and makes me feel in control and safe. Travelling often takes us out of our comfort zone. To unlock the energy and value of travelling, I must embrace the discomfort of the unknown.
Similarly, to gain perspective you cannot stay where you are. Gaining perspective requires movement and often a little bit of discomfort.
“It’s not what you see but how you see” – Henry David Thoreau
The Merriam-Webster1 dictionary describes perspective as:
- A mental view or prospect.
- A visible scene.
- The interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed. Point of view.
- The capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance.
- The appearance to the eye of objects in respect to their relative distance and positions.
- The technique or process of representing on a plane or curved surface the spatial relation of objects as they might appear to the eye.
All these refer to eye or view to describe perspective. What we see and how we choose to see is the essence of perspective.
The road to success
Life is often referred to as a journey. This journey takes each of us on different routes and on different itineraries. Success in life will also differ for everyone. Why do we then expect others to think like us and act like us?
It will be very shortsighted to believe that my view is the only correct one. We cannot treat all people the same. The only consistency in dealing with people is that each one is unique and requires a different perspective. In life, our paths cross with different people every day.
The ability to gain perspective is therefore crucial to get a competitive advantage in achieving success. Success in your career and personal life.
Some of the benefits of gaining perspective include:
- Improved problem-solving skills – Embracing different viewpoints develops creative thinking and adaptiveness, thus leading to innovative solutions.
- Better communication and relationships – Considering others’ perspectives builds understanding and empathy for different situations. These are much needed skills for personal and professional relationships.
- Improved collaboration – Collaboration with others improves with the ability to understand different viewpoints, builds empathy and aids in better communication.
- Personal growth and development – Being curious about other points of view takes you outside your comfort zone. This curiosity enhances your growth and ability to learn.
- Improved mental wellbeing – Changing your perspective can reduce your stress levels and mental wellbeing by mitigating negative thoughts and emotions.
Ways to gain perspective
Understanding what perspective is and how gaining it can improve many areas of your life does not guarantee having this skill. We are going to explore a few ways to gain perspective by continuing with our metaphor of being on a journey:
- Scrutinize information carefully – Just like preparing for a journey by knowing the roads and where you can fuel up; protect yourself from bad information. Our thoughts and perspectives are based on the information we take in.
- Seek the truth – Perform a reality check on yourself. Pretending that the current gridlocked road is the only road does not make it the truth. Step outside your comfort zone and challenge your perspective.
- Emotions are contagious – Being angry and frustrated with the other motorists wastes energy and influences everyone around you negatively without changing the fact that the road is gridlocked. See the bright side, practice gratitude and use your energy for solutions.
- Control your mindset – You only control yourself, your thoughts and your actions. Everything else is outside your control. You can’t control the reactions of others.
- Seek to understand – Be objective and ask questions to understand others’ opinions, points of view and the challenges they face. This understanding provides you with more information and therefore more potential solutions. Who knows, the guy pressing on his hooter in the vehicle behind you may be on his way to hospital.
- Image being someone else – Putting yourself in the shoes of the other person allows you to see what they are facing and experiencing. Imagine being the motorist that caused the gridlock by accidentally bumping into another vehicle.
- Surround yourself with diverse perspectives – Interact with people from various backgrounds, cultures and environments. Be open-minded and challenge your current views. What are the other people stuck on the road doing? Maybe some are singing, others are pulling off to the side to take a picnic?
- Take a step back – Look at the bigger picture. The complete solution is often not in the detail just in front of you. Merely following the car in front of you will keep you in the gridlock. You need to look around to see other possibilities.
- Reflect on the past but look forward – Reflecting on the past helps us to see current challenges for what they are. Will this still matter in 2 years’ time? The past allows us to view what we learned but our focus is on what is ahead. The rearview mirror is small in comparison to the windshield. We need to focus on where we are going.
- Set priorities and measure progress – Not everything is equally important. Focus on what matters. Take time to think and reflect. Being busy is not the same as being productive. Finding a new route takes priority over missing the shopping trip you planned because of having to change routes.
Gaining perspective requires a willingness and effort to change and learn.
Conclusion
In conclusion I want to share the parable of the two villages:
A traveler came upon an old farmer just outside a new village and asked,
“Sir, what are the people like in this town I’m about to enter?”
The farmer looked up and asked,
“What were the people like in the town you just left?”
The first traveler scowled.
“They were rude, mean, and dishonest. I was miserable,
which is why I left!”
The farmer nodded.
“Then you will find the people here are exactly the same.”
Later, a second traveler came along and asked the same question.
The farmer asked,
“What were the people like in the town you just left?”
The traveler smiled warmly.
“They were kind, friendly, and generous. I was sad to leave them.”
The farmer smiled back.
“Then you will find the people here are exactly the same.”
Attitude impacts perspective and changing your perspective is the only way to guarantee success wherever you are.
“If you can’t change the circumstances, change your perspective” – Unknown
At wauperform we believe in building performance management from the business to the workforce, to have sustainable growth. We will gladly assist you with the process. Contact Rici van Schalkwyk on 021 819 7817 or at rvanschalkwyk@wauko.com to learn more.
