Perspective - Where is Your Focus? By Debra Wier At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Have you ever noticed how two people can witness an event and have a completely different account of what occurred? Whether it’s an automobile accident or an TV interview, people often tell a completely different story of what they both witnessed. I believe the reason for this has to do with where they place their attention or focus.

Perhaps the best example of this is when people have serious arguments. We all know there are always two sides to every story. A long time ago, I had two very good friends, who got into a serious disagreement about something. I honestly can’t remember what the issue was but they both had completely different versions of the same story. How could this be? Was one of them deliberately lying? Although this may have been the case, I seriously doubt it, as I knew the character of both individuals quite well. It was most likely a matter of perspective. In other words, what aspect of the story they were giving their focus to? As Dr. Phil once remarked with his Southern drawl, “Like my Daddy always said - no matter how thin you make a pancake it still has two sides!”

Nobody is better at redirecting our focus than politicians. I believe both parties want what’s best for the country but they simply have different ideas of how to accomplish this. In an effort to gain our vote they skillfully redirect our focus with their carefully chosen words.

The Democrats make statements like, “The Republicans want to give tax cuts to the wealthiest 1% of individuals.” Although that may be a true statement, a more accurate statement would go like this, “The Republicans want to give tax cuts to everyone across the board.” By focusing solely on the words “the wealthiest 1%”, it makes one think that Republicans are only looking out for the rich which simply isn’t true. By providing tax cuts to everyone, businesses can thrive which will create more jobs for everyone.

The Republicans make statements like, “The Democrats want to give more handouts in the form of welfare.” This too is an oversimplified statement. I believe it would be more accurate to say, “The Democrats want to provide welfare assistance in instances where it is truly needed.”

I’ve probably just succeeded in upsetting every single person who reads this since it appears that I’ve made a derogatory remark about each party. However, that was not my intent. I was trying to illustrate how shifting your focus changes your perspective.

Let me ask you a question: which of those statements really caught your attention? What was your reaction? You most likely focused on the statement that made your party look bad and it may have made you a little bit angry.

Many of our reactions and observations are based on having this narrow, tunnel-vision focus. It’s kind of like when political figures have their own agenda and they see what they want to see. They also want us to share this somewhat distorted vision. When we step back and look at the whole picture, we gain a better perspective. This leads to better understanding and better communications.

How can you use perspective to your advantage? Begin by focusing on all that is good in your life. Notice the things that you want to change and begin making a serious effort to do so. However, in this case you want to use selective focus by keeping your attention only on the good. Take inventory of everything you have going for you. This will be your proverbial glass. Now instead of seeing the glass as half empty, see it as half full, but don’t stop there. Try to keep filling the glass with more wonderful things. As you begin to change the things you don’t like, soon your glass will be overflowing!

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