Perspective – It Can Completely Change Your Results
The other day I was listening to Dave Ramsey share a story that I thought fabulously illustrated the power of perspective.
He told of an English professor who wanted to make a point to her students.
That day, she wrote the following on the board:
A WOMAN WITHOUT HER MAN IS NOTHING
Then, the teacher picked two volunteers, one woman, and one man.
As they came to the front of the room, she handed each of them a marker and asked them to place the appropriate punctuation for the sentence she had written.
How would you punctuate the sentence above?
The man, complete with confidence, went first. He walked directly to the board and added three quick marks to the sentence. It read:
A WOMAN, WITHOUT HER MAN, IS NOTHING.
After making the marks, he walked away, confident that he had nailed her request.
Next, the woman walked up to the board. As she walked up, she was shaking her head. Without a pause, she erased the man's marks and replaced them with her own. When she was done, it read:
A WOMAN: WITHOUT HER, MAN IS NOTHING.
You see, different people can look at the same thing and see something very different. Interpretations can vary.
“Perspective – It can completely change your results!” Stephanie LH Calahan
Now, let's look at your business.
Are there things in your business that could use “different punctuation?”
Do you know how to see the “altered sentence?”
I talk to people all of the time that have hit a plateau in their business. Many have reached huge levels of success, but they can't seem to grow past that level. Others are stuck and trying to figure out who they are.
The one thing that they all have in common is the need for a new perspective.
If this feels familiar to you, I encourage you to try something new. Reach out to someone you admire and invite them to coffee, hire a coach (I'd love to talk to you to see how I might be able to help), work from a different location. Heck! Just make a change. Do something to jolt the way you look at things.
I'd love to hear what you think.
To your easy and joyful success!
Stephanie
P.S. Let this settle and notice what is true for you. Every moment offers the opportunity to create the life you want with grace, ease, and joy. Let me know when you’re ready to explore possible next steps.
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DISCLAIMER: THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS POST DOES NOT CONSTITUTE BUSINESS ADVICE. NO RELATIONSHIP, INCLUDING ADVISOR/CLIENT, HAS BEEN FORMED AS A RESULT OF THIS POST.
Great advice Stephanie, thank you for this post. I will try some of these tips!
Hi Maryann – Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to comment.
Great advice Stephanie, thank you for this post. I will try some of these tips!
Great post. Though not necessarily a business context, I have relayed a similar message to my teenage daughter or sister as they hit dismal moments in life. Every problem has a solution, we just have to rearrange the pieces until the perfect fit is found.
Sheri – Absolutely! I have similar conversations with my boys. Thanks for sharing and for dropping by my site.
Stephanie, I think it is so funny that I posted in this thread and yours was one of the two I had to read because of the thread requirements……I already follow you on Twitter! Perspective is a huge thing and many of us forget to remember that when it comes to looking at things from someone else’s point of view……..we only look at things through our eyes. Thanks for the post!
Peggy – Good to see you here! Thanks for stopping by. Yes, it is easy to forget that how we see the world is not how everyone else sees it. Thanks for sharing.
Cool. Great illustration.
Hi Matt! Good to see you commenting here today. I thought the illustration was fun. I won’t try to argue which punctuation choice was right… (grin)
Stephanie, what a terrific post. Thanks for sharing your perspective:-) This is an important issue and I’ll be looking at my site for any opportunities to improve and will share this with my clients. Thanks!
I haven’t heard that story yet, short and powerful.
Are there things in your business that could use “different punctuation?” – I loved this statement. I get tired of using the word perspective all the time and for me this punctuation example shows, in a very concrete way, the impact of looking at things in a different way.
Thank you,
Brenda
Brenda – So glad you liked the story and the questions. It is a fun way of seeing the same thing in a different way for sure.
This is a clever post and a clever story. Where do you find wonderful stories like this? I have discovered exactly what you’re writing about in my own businesses. It’s amazing how small but powerful changes in the words I use, or the things I emphasize, can determine very different reader responses! I like thinking about this, Stephanie, and I’ll see what I can tweak!
Hi Gina – Thanks so much. Glad that you like the story. It made me smile when I heard Dave Ramsey share it. I’d love to hear what you decide to tweak!
And never forget the power of a different PLACE. Sometimes working on a project or problem from someplace different can work wonders!
Absolutely Kimberly! I have a few different locations here as well as off-site that I use.