July 13, 2018
The country club by me shoots off fireworks
on July 3. The home between my house and
the country club is under new ownership,
and the new owners recently removed
several trees in their back yard. As a result,
I had the best view of the fireworks from
my front yard since we moved in nearly
20 years ago.
It did not, however, provide a better view for
my neighbors who, standing in their
driveway 20 feet away, still had an
obstructed view. So, I invited them to my
front yard.
Changing your perspective by moving a few
feet in any direction, or up and down, is
something drilled into me by John
Grzywacz-Gray during my college photo
class days. If you don’t like the lighting,
wait a few minutes. If you don’t like the
outline, move until the photo works. It’s
something I also do as a sky watcher. Right
now, Venus is high in the western sky
after sunset. But because my neighbors
to the west have not removed their trees,
I must walk to the middle of the road to
see her.
I also watch clouds and sunrises and
sunsets, something any ardent sky watcher
will tell you is best viewed from the right
perspective.
Changing your perspective has real-world, problem-solving advantages too. I’m currently developing a workbook small businesses and organizations can use to develop their own style guide. I’ve had to change my perspective several times while working through how best to make it easy to understand and use. I may have to change perspective several more times before I’m done.
Then, there are the times I’m feeling down, worthless, and wondering why I try at all. At those times, I find that squaring my shoulders and declaring to myself that I can do it changes my perspective enough to try again. I inevitably succeed at a task at hand, which completes the transformation. I step outside of my head and allow positivity to replace negativity.
So, the next time you don’t like the view from where you’re standing, take a few steps—physically, mentally, or spiritually—until your perspective pleases the mind, body, and soul.
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Tom Pfeifer is the managing partner and chief strategist for Consistent Voice Communications and author of Write It, Speak It: Writing a Speech They’ll APPLAUD! Reach him at Tom@YourConsistentVoice.com.