Perspective PowerTM - The Two Questions
Okay Steve, I get it, I don’t pay enough attention to managing my perspective. Now that I understand the central role of perspective in driving my responses, how can I change my point of view when rubber hits road, in real-life, in real-time? Well, I’m glad you asked…
Incomplete & Inaccurate
In the airplane anecdote (Here’s the link: What Is Perspective PowerTM?) I missed the fact that the guy in the next seat was deaf. I also made up a story about the same guy disrespecting me…and then used it to upset myself.
In the same way, your perspective on any situation can only be “wrong” in one of two ways. It can be incomplete and/or inaccurate. In other words, you miss stuff and/or you make stuff up. Make sense? Remember, it’s your perspective that drives how you think, feel and act. And so the stuff you miss and make up distorts the perspective that’s driving every one of your thoughts, feelings and actions.
Yin And Yang
As I began researching these two fundamental misperceptions—the yin and yang of perceptual errors—I noticed that, in general, the stuff you miss cripples your thinking. Conversely, the stuff you make up fuels toxic emotions.
Currently, you miss more (far, far more) than you realize. You’re asleep at the wheel, victimized by unconscious delusions which narrow your outlook to the size of a shirt button. I’m not exaggerating. Utterly mindless of the extent to which your brain repeatedly filters out the clues you need to solve your problems, make better decisions and spot golden opportunities.
Blissfully unaware, you stumble into psychological pitfalls that render your problems unsolvable, opportunities invisible and decisions regrettable. Mental bear-traps cripple your professional growth, choke your creativity and leave you a victim of unexpected change.
And, as for the stuff you make up, think back to the last time you got really mad. What was it that caused you to get angry? News flash: Regardless of what person or situation you blame for tasering your raw nerves, you actually made yourself angry. You literally invented a story and then used it to piss yourself off.
It’s vital you’re aware of this innate tendency to make up stories because every time you respond to a situation with unnecessary emotional intensity, it fills your head with mental static, clouds your judgment and makes you part of the problem you’re trying to solve.
As I map out your escape route from rampant stress, unhappiness and failure, I’ll introduce you to psychologists who have spent decades studying the shocking (and I do mean shocking) extent to which you miss stuff and make stuff up. My goal is to completely disavow you of the notion that your passive perspective is anywhere near close to complete and accurate.
The Two Perspective PowerTM Questions
The observation that your point of view can only be “wrong” in one of two ways (incomplete and/or inaccurate) leads to a simple strategy: Whenever your perspective on a situation isn’t producing the results you want, ask:
What am I missing?
What am I making up?
Listen carefully: Whenever your viewpoint on a situation isn’t leading to the results you want, immediately ask these two Perspective PowerTM questions.
Whenever you’re facing a problem, making a decision or looking for opportunities, the first question to ask is: What am I missing? And, whenever you’re feeling overly emotional—frustrated, anxious, angry—the first question to ask is: What am I making up?
When I advise you to “Flex your Perspective PowerTM,” I’m simply suggesting that you ask yourself the two Perspective PowerTM questions. Get in the habit of reflexively asking these questions. Your answers define the direction and quality of your entire life.
When you answer the Perspective PowerTM questions, your point of view becomes more complete and accurate. This will shatter your intellectual blind spots, enable you to manage your overly emotional and self-defeating behaviors and blaze a clear path to personal growth and professional success.
