Module 148 - Everything is Measured in Perspective

Stop judging others, their thoughts and opinions, focus on yourself instead

We all have our own and unique perspectives on virtually everything in life – how we must eat, what is considered happiness, what defines success, health, entertainment, etc. Pick a topic and I am sure everyone would have their own perspective on topic in question. Having an individual perspective is not a bad thing at all, it’s expected, because, we all are different and unique. However, we often forget that people around us do not have to view a specific situation or concept as we view them and display our disagreements or frustrations when perspectives of those around us differ from our own.

We must learn to be respectful of others, their values, perspectives, thoughts, and priorities. For example, one may take his or her family on a vacation to go skiing at an economy ski resort. Perhaps, this is family’s first vacation to a ski resort, vacation that family has been saving up for many months or even years. Some, once they learn about the location and type of ski resort would immediately share their perspective – highlighting all reasons why this specific resort is not a good, as some much more luxurious resorts in other parts off the state or country, making it clear to the individual they are speaking with that resort the they’ve chosen for their family vacation is way below their acceptable standards. But, do we ever stop and ask ourselves – how us sharing our perspective on vacation location chosen by an individual we are interacting with or sharing an opinion on another topic or decision may impact this individual emotionally? Do we ever ask ourselves if opinions and perspectives that we are sharing are appropriate to be vocalized and shared? Some of us do, but many of us do not. Just like in the ski resort selection example, we do not know all possible reasons why family might have decided to choose the resort that they did. Perhaps, their decision was largely influenced by their inability to afford a more expensive and more luxurious option, or perhaps there were other unique and important reasons specific to the family in question that dictated family’s decision? We don’t know that and, therefore, sharing our own perspective or opinion can be extremely inappropriate, and be found as offensive to others.

It’s very important to be respectful of other people’s individual and often private perspectives, and do not share our own perspectives and opinions unless we know and fully understand another individual’s situation and how they may react to us sharing our point of view. We want to make sure that we do not offend individual(s) with who we are speaking. We must be respectful of other people’s situations and values and keep our comments to ourselves when we know that sharing them could be inappropriate and out of place. Speaking out of place could also have a negative impact on personal and professional relationships with another individual without us realizing it. Therefore, to remain professional and to maintain a professional and respectful image of ourselves in the eyes of others always be mindful of what is being said and how perspective shared may impact those around us.
Remember that words have a tremendous power, so be sure to choose what you share and when very carefully. Once something is said, it can no longer be taken back, no matter how hard we try.​

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I hope you enjoyed reading this module as much as I enjoyed writing it, and hope that you found it to be very useful for you or someone else that you may know. Please feel free to share this post if you know someone who may benefit from reading it same way you did