Three men were asked to view a seed and when asked what they saw:
The first man said he saw a seed.
The second man said he saw a tree.
While the third man said he saw a forest.
One object, yet three different ways of seeing the same thing: the short term, midterm and long term perspectives.
Colin Turner in his book, Paths to Succeed, pointed out that there are over six billion people on this planet who all perceive things through their own unique interpretations. This means that there are over six billion ways of looking at things.
These ways of seeing are referred to as frames of reference and we all have and use them to actively construe the world. Our frames of reference influence our thinking, decision making and judgement by determining our perceptions of reality. This means we don’t see the world as it is but as we are. These frames of reference are derived from our previous experiences and conditioning. The downside of frames of reference is that they prevent us from seeing things that don’t fit our mental representations of the world, hence making us resistant to evidence that disproves our world view.
The way you see determines how you act. So what do you see when you look at your life? Do you take the long view or you are so preoccupied with the past and the present.
