Clash of the perspectives: Communicate better.

W read upside down may come out as M, a 6 upside down may look like 9. We've seen this happen to us. We've seen these examples somewhere. A lot more often than not, all the problems we face have numerous ways of being looked at. A problem for me might not be a problem for you at all. It's all about perspective. When I want a new phone because my old phone has become a bit slower than usual, there is someone out there who uses a phone with 2 Kb of RAM and no one hears a complaint. Apart from a perspective, there is also a necessity that comes into play here. I need a new phone to work or study but the other person does not. A majority of materialistic problems have two faces: perspective and necessity. Necessities overrule perspectives all the time. If I need something that you don't, it's my need. It's not a matter of perspective which isn't the topic of our discussion (even though you're reading, I want this to be a discussion. Pause while you read and think to yourself about some things.)

Consider this scenario: I am a 12th-grade student. Sometimes, I struggle with getting work done and learning concepts that I am weak at. I have a lot of friends, who struggle with similar issues. But, I have one friend who is extraordinarily hard-working and smart. He has no clue about the problems that I face. He says, " It's not possible to have backlogs and have some stuff remaining to be completed all the time ". Obviously, our "extraordinary" friend is lying here, but for us. For him, it's partially true. He's hard-working, he's smart, and he gets his stuff done whenever it should be done. So, it's not much of an issue here. So, when you go to talk to that person about your issues, he's not going to understand what you are trying to say. Only if he had known that everybody has a different perspective on the problems. We come across this every time. In our schools, offices, playgrounds, family, friends, and whatnot. Everybody comes to us with their problems. They speak about what they face and it takes us seconds to judge them. Within minutes of them finishing their talk, we have a complete picture of the person speaking. Humans are judgemental creatures. It's an instinctive skill. From the day we step on earth, we are taught some things and made to do some things blindly. We are made to believe that they are true and we should always abide by them. Those might be values, principles, teachings, or just regular day-to-day habits. We have a picture of what an Ideal person looks like both, from the inside and the outside and we are always on the lookout for one. But, we are always disappointed. It's pretty obvious that nobody is ideal. Everybody carries their flaws with them wherever they go. Our brains sense these deviations in the ideal person's structure and pick up the flaws. That is what we basically call judging someone. We fit them into our classifications and treat them accordingly. No one gives a lot of thought to what that particular person's thought process or perspective might be and why it might be that way. That is a very key thing when it comes to communicating with others. Formal or friendly, it doesn't matter. It's equally important. Doesn't matter if you're a CEO, a Manager, a regular employee, or a housemaker.

When I say we should understand different perspectives, I mean we should think from their point of view. The way you see the world from your eyes is your perspective. When you try and understand the other person's perspective, you UNDERSTAND what their problems mean to them. Something like," I don't have enough money to buy a new phone " is not a problem at all for millionaires and billionaires. Again, that's a materialistic thing. But, something like, I'm not happy with my job position or I'm not happy with my grades is a matter of true perspective. When a student comes to me and says I got 99/100 in Math, I regret not studying for that 1 mark. I lost it due to my carelessness, I'm not supposed to tell that person to go off because he's acting unsatisfied if I aim for better communication. I should be understanding what he means, and what he wants and then take an action, or in some cases, not take an action. There might be a student who's happy with 70/100 because he's never scored above 65 once. So, 70 is a big leap forward. Give that 70 to someone who streaks above 90 on all his tests and he will start crying with as many tears as he can find.

It's a matter of who's used to what and who wants what and when. If your employee comes to you and says, I'm having a hard time with my family because everybody is not in the right state of mind to support each other and this is the reason behind my poor performance, you're not supposed to push him off and say, " Dude, how can you have issues with your families? Aren't you supposed to help each other out instead of fighting among yourselves?" I don't think your employee would like it. As a responsible employer, you're supposed to understand what he is saying, think about it, look from his perspective, and act accordingly. When you do this, you can solve his problems effectively and respect +++. I know everybody will agree with what they just read but when it comes to them, they'll do the same thing. Only if people understood thinking from different perspectives is very important, the world would've been a much better place to live.

Everybody has genuine issues that they face. They aren't fake or made up. They are just beyond what you are understanding them to be at the moment. If I have the resources you have right now, all my problems might disappear. Maybe I would have to face some more problems. It comes down to the way you choose to live. If you want to live a peaceful, happy life and you don't expect much, " I want to save for that new watch, I want to buy a new gaming setup for myself, I want a new car " might not be the problems that you face, but they exist. So, you cannot deny someone of these issues when they come to you with them. For the sake of better relationships, you have to know, to know. I have mentioned earlier, everything we choose to do and become is unique. We cannot compare ourselves to others. Similarly, we cannot expect others to face the problems we face and get through them successfully. If you want to get better at communicating, you want to make it an instinct to consider everything. All you have to do is think before you do. You'll see examples of this everywhere. Literally everywhere. Apply what you just read to your conversations and you'll see positive changes speeding your way. For building the trait, what I do is I try to think of different situations from different people's perspectives. It's actually fun to do + it helps you every time. So, it's a win-win. Try it for yourself.

Not only does it help to understand people, but it also helps in understanding the way everything works. It helps in solving complex scientific problems too. Sometimes, when people are stuck on a single problem, they bring others for a look at it. A new perspective helps a lot. We get tunnel vision when we are stuck on a single problem We don't take any new inputs and we just do what we are told to do. Whenever you face this, try taking in new inputs. Try changing the way you work, try changing the way you arrange your stuff, try changing the times that you work on, try changing the days you work on, try changing the intervals that you work for, or try changing your work lol.

For one stuck output, take in new inputs. Change your surroundings, change your approach, and change your perspective.