A Different Perspective

Perspective relates to the way you see things. Two people may see the same thing differently. It depends on how they see it. In order words, HOW we see things determines WHAT we see. The half-full/half-empty analogy is a matter of perspective - how do you see the glass? SO when next you see or ponder on something, ask yourself, "Can I see this same thing in a different light? I can see it differently, maybe in a better perspective?"

I will give you a simple example. When you watch a football game on your TV, you are actually the expert. You see clearly what should be done, the best strategy to execute, either to pass the ball to teammate A or teammate B or take a shot at goal. The player on pitch is usually 'handicapped' by what he sees in the thick of the action. So, you end up criticizing him if he makes the wrong decision based on his limited perspective, "Oh, he should have made an attempt at goal instead of passing the ball!" 

Or probably, you are not a football fan. Have you ever seen a movie where the actor/actress (unless the context otherwise requires, words importing one gender include all genders and may be read as such) acts with limited knowledge of the situation around him? He may be heading into danger, oblivious of it, and you  just wish there was a way you could reach out to him to warn him of the impending danger. Sometimes, he comes out unhurt; other times, he gets in a mess.

It happens so many times - in movies as well as in real life. You don't really have full knowledge of every happening around you. Yet, you are required to make certain important decisions based on what you see and think. How  then do you ensure that you are not walking into danger like that actor or making a mess of things like the footballer? What if the one way you are seeing or  thinking is a cul de sac (a blind alley)?

That is why you need to get a different perspective (or better still, many perspectives to the same issue). You have to come out of the whole plot/game, sit on the sofa, and watch for better understanding like a spectator. You get a different view (a larger, if not the whole picture). You compare and contrast views to see which one has the best payoff. This way you reduce the likelihood of many too many costly errors and begin to make optimal  decisions.

I close with two stories to buttress perspectives matter and shape your decision/life. 

1. Two salesmen from competing companies were sent to an African country to assess the market for shoes (feasibility/viability study). Salesman one scouts around for a few days and then heads for the telegraph office to contact his company headquarters. His report: "Research complete. Unmitigated disaster. Nobody here wears shoes." Salesman two, after his research, also heads for the same telegraph office. His own report: "Research complete. Fantastic business opportunity! Nobody here wears shoes!"
2. Two brothers grow to become men of stark contrast in character and appearance. The elder is a poor, jobless, hopeless drinker, womanizer and nuisance to the community. The younger is a rich, respected figure in the community, owner and manager of the largest Telecom company in the country, a responsible husband and loving father. When the first was asked why he ended up being the way he is, he replied, "Our father never took care of us and we hardly ever saw him. He drinks his income away and comes home to beat our mother to stupor. He does not cater for our education too. So I had to better chance in life". When asked the same question, the younger replied in this manner, "When I think of the kind of life our father lived and how we suffered as a result, I strove to never be like him. I vowed that my wife and children will get a better life than we did with my mother".

See things differently.