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  <h2 class="date-header">Saturday, August 11, 2007</h2>
  

  
     
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	 Taking Different Perspectives - A Walk in Someone Else's Shoes
	 
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      <div style="clear:both;"></div>Developing a subtle mind is critical to maintaining strong relationships with other people. By this, I mean that it is helpful to view problems and disagreements from different perspectives. Life and people are rich and complicated. Seldom is there just one "right" way to view things.<br /><br />It is a given that, when a person holds a perspective or position, they think that they are "right." If the person believed that they were wrong, they would not adopt this viewpoint to begin with! To help resolve our differences with others, try in earnest to see the validity in what the other person is saying. This has many benefits:<br /><ol><li>The person will feel "heard." It is validating and feels good for that person just to know that you have made the effort to try to understand their point of view. Plus, no one likes to be thought of as "crazy" or "an idiot" for holding a particular view.</li><li>It is easier to reach a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">compromise</span> when we see the merit in another person's position. </li><li>We are less likely to become polarized when we see things from another person's vantage point. That is, people tend to take more extreme stances - toward the opposite ends of the continuum - when they don't try to see the validity in the other person's perspective. Polarized stances are inherently <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">divisive</span>. Which brings us to the next point...</li><li>You are better able to maintain a relationship by getting into another person's shoes and walking around in them. Maintaining strong relationships with others is a key to our happiness. So, to put it in an odd way, we end up shooting ourselves in the foot when we don't get into another person's shoes and walk around in them!</li></ol><p>Whether it's with our partner, friends, family members, or co-workers, try seeing things through their eyes the next time you are in a disagreement. You are likely to find that this helps you to stay connected with them in a positive way.</p><div style="clear:both; padding-bottom:0.25em"></div>
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      <em>posted by Dr. Mike Brooks at <a href="http://www.drmikebrooks.com/2007/08/taking-different-perspectives-walk-in.asp" title="permanent link">12:25 PM</a></em>
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