Week 2: Taking Perspective

If you want to change your perspective you have to change your focus. One way to do this is called perspective-taking. One beautiful skill we have as human beings is the capability to take a different perspective.

For fun, try this. Close your eyes for a moment, and imagine yourself taking the point of view of one of your friends or family members. Then ask yourself: “As a (mom/brother/friend), what do I want?” Then take the time to ask yourself: “As a (mom/brother/friend), what do I fear?”

What do the answers to these questions look like? If you take a different perspective, such as a partner or child, how do these answers differ?

Perspective-taking is about being able to understand a situation from the point of view of another person. The nice thing about this skill is in how it allows us to better explore a situation that happened in the past — or it can support you in making an upcoming decision.

Taking the time to respect the perspectives of others fosters understanding, empathy, and compassion. We don’t have to agree with the way others interpret life or the circumstances or concepts therein, though we do have to respect that each one of us has our own unique viewpoint, founded in the unique set of circumstances that has shaped our present perspective.