I was venting to a friend of mine the other day about my two young boys.  “I’m exhausted”, I told her. “Every day I come home from work and chase children for hours on end.  It’s an exercise in herding kittens!  Both boys wait at the door to compete for my time and affection.  When the kids finally get to bed, my wife and I collapse and wonder what just happened.”

As I shared these stories I thought my friend would shower me with sympathy and support, but that didn’t happen. 

“Wow.”, she said as her eyes started to well up.  “I miss those moments when my children would fill me with love and admiration.”

Her statement caught me off guard, and I began to wonder (as Rory Sutherland notes in the video below) how many problems in life can actually be solved by a mere change in perception and perspective?  As a licensed therapist, you would figure I knew all about the power of perception!

Sometimes, a simple shift in one’s daily approach to “reality” can lead to new possibilities and a renewed sense of purpose.  It gives you the ability to recognize opportunities when others are only able to see problems.

Advertising executive Rory Sutherland gives a fascinating talk about the power of seeing the world differently that I believe is worth referencing here.  It’s a little long by web standards (16 minutes or so), but I truly enjoyed his colorful examples and unique perspective.

One of my lessons learned from this video – don’t be trapped by dogma, which is essentially living within the voice of other people’s perception.

Think different, think anew.