Keeping things in perspective, specifically looking at the same issue from different perspectives, is an incredibly important skill to have. Unfortunately it doesn’t happen naturally. You have to consciously remember to do it, and when you do you will have not only a happier life, but also a more successful one as well because you will understand situations and issues in a much more complete and overall better way.

You must keep things that happen in perspective.  If you don’t, you will misinterpret the actions of other people and the various situations you find yourself in as well. Everyone is different; they have different ways of looking at situations and at the world in general. Even if that difference is only a slight one – it impacts how they interpret every situation.

Take for instance the case where there are 4 different people standing on each corner of an intersection where there is a car accident that occurs while the people are watching. If you ask each of them what happened, you will get four different versions of the same situation. They will all agree on the main facts (that two cars were involved in an accident in the intersection), but they will likely differ on the details (who’s fault the accident was, who was going faster or slower, etc.).  Since each person was looking at it from a different angle or perspective, their opinion of what actually happened won’t be exactly the same.

The best way to get a better understanding of any situation, the truth about what really happened, would be to put all of the stories together (the common elements) and then add in the other parts that make the most sense after hearing each side of the story. That will leave you with the most realistic version of the truth about what happened, so you will understand what really happened, rather than just one version of what happened.

In other situations, it’s simply a matter of choosing to look at things from a different perspective if something doesn’t seem quite right to you based on how you’re looking at it. Maybe you need to distance yourself from the situation a little more so you can see the big picture rather than just what’s most immediately in front of you at the moment.

Looking at or considering things from different perspectives should be something we all do regularly in our daily lives as well in order to better understand what truly happens and more importantly, why people see things differently. Next time you are in a situation that could be looked at in a negative way, stop, try to think of a different perspective that you could interpret the situation through and do that. Then put the common, most likely elements together and add in the parts that are different which make the most sense, and I guarantee that you will understand the situation better and be able to respond more effectively.

As you can imagine, it is especially important to do when dealing with a situation between two or more people. Always try to look at the issue being discussed from the other persons’ points of view so that you will not only better understand the issue, but also better understand each person. You will have less interpersonal conflict, the conflicts you do have will not escalate as much as they normally would, and you will be seen as a more intelligent, caring, fair, and understanding person – which will obviously help you as you get out there and LEED!