Perspective Matters

Last week, I was at the Mall of America with my family. We didn't really buy anything, but we had fun exploring. We spent a fair bit of time at the Lego store. My kids love Legos. To be fair...I love Legos too.

While we were there, I noticed this Lego mosaic on the wall...

Nice pattern, but can you discern the whole picture from this close-up view? Let's step back a bit...

Now it starts to become clearer, right? But let's back up even further...

And now, we can see the whole picture! Quite a moose, isn't it?

I wonder sometimes if we are so close to a situation that we can't actually see the whole moose?

Compare:


It's the same moose in each picture. The level of detail is different depending on your perspective.

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Think about your moose.

You don't have a moose?

I bet you do. You know...that situation that you're thinking about right now. That issue you feel others just can't understand? That problem you think others just don't comprehend?

What is your moose?

Do you feel like others can't even see your moose?

Maybe it isn't that they aren't seeing your moose. Maybe it's just that they have a different view of the moose. Maybe the level of moose-detail they are seeing is different because of their position in relation to the situation.

If you're close to the moose, you understand it at a granular level, but you might only see the eye, not the antlers and tail.

If you're farther from the moose, you can see a wider view, but you might not have the detailed understanding of the colors and contours up close.

If you're somewhere in the middle, you might be able to help mediate between the granular and wide view, because you can see more of the moose, but you can also make out some of the details.

Don't be afraid to share your perspective on your "moose"...but also listen to others' views of the moose. Perspective matters.