One of the hardest things to do in life is to start at the beginning when looking at a situation or problem you need to work on. Most people, when in this position, start the wheels of their mind with solutions and possibilities.
The risk in starting here, is what happens if you are looking at the problems the “wrong way”? For example, if you own a piece of commercial real estate should it be looked on for what is its appraised value or should it be looked on by the cash flow and return it brings to an investor?
The perspective you choose to look at a situation will change the range of solutions that are possible. In the real estate example above, if what an asset returns becomes your focus you might then see if the dollars it generates is as good as other financial investments. If it is not, you might decide to sell it rather than keep it.
When looking to move your family, is it from the perspective of wanting better school systems for your children, being closer to work, having a smaller house so that you have more time to do other things, or be close to your parents who can then babysit?
Why finding perspective first is important is that it then leads to different criteria being used as we go throught the discovery process on our way to deciding an appropriate solution for what we are looking to do.
What scares me, many times, is that I am not looking at a situation from the right perspective. When this happens, there is less leverage in the solutions I try to work towards and ultimately I am less effective.
Finding perspective is not easy. It takes practice. The best shortcut or hack (in modern day language) is to consult those who have been more successful than you are to see how they would view a situation first before asking for their suggested solution.
You would be surprised how many times by doing this you will be exposed to perspectives that you never really thought of but make a great deal of sense when they are told to us.
Never assuming you are the smartest and have the best ideas is a great way to move forward in life effectively. You need to test your ideas, listen and learn regularly from others. Finding perspective through them is simply one great example of this to remember.