Ever jump to a conclusion about something and later found out you only had part of the story or truth? One of the fundamental themes in life is learning to understand different perspectives.  As Realtors we have a Prime responsibility to make sure that we are in tune...and aware of the different perspectives at play at any point in time.

We already know that a Buyer looks at a house one way..........and the seller another.......the Bank see's it one way......and the Tax Assessor another, and often a Wife can see it differently then her Husband....

                        One man's castle is another man's...............                                   

How do we stay tuned in?  We realize that every one of those people play a part in the development of the whole. We're all a part of the process.  And...each person brings an expertise and something valuable to the table.

It is easy for us to  jump to conclusions based on  limited experience and first impressions. So often we  assume we have the whole truth just because we know part of the truth. And yet first impressions definitely do not tell us all we need to know.  But what is important is to share our perspectives - thats really how we start getting to know each other.  The next step is not judging....Trying to see something through another's eyes - can be one of the most freeing experiences!

I love the analogy of the ocean.......It can look so different, depending on whether you are standing at the shore, looking down at it from a plane... or swimming beneath its waves.  

We all see the world from our own unique vantage point.  Years ago I was at a seminar where the story of The Blind Man and the Elephant was told. This story-poem-metaphor  made a major impact on me....and I've often used this example in explaining how its possible for all of us to have a piece of the truth and yet not see the whole picture........

And so it goes.......  

Here's a story of the six blind men and the elephant:

                                           Six blind men were discussing exactly what they believed an elephant to be, since each had heard how strange the creature was, yet no one had ever seen one before. So the blind men agreed to find an elephant and discover what the animal was really like.

It didn't take the blind men long to find an elephant at a nearby market. The first blind man approached the beast and felt the animal's firm flat side. "It seems to me that the elephant is just like a wall," he said to his friends.

The second blind man reached out and touched one of the elephant's tusks. "No, this is round and smooth and sharp - the elephant is like a spear."

Intrigued, the third blind man stepped up to the elephant and touched its trunk. "Well, I can't agree with either of you; I feel a squirming writhing thing - surely the elephant is just like a snake."

The fourth blind man was of course by now quite puzzled. So he reached out, and felt the elephant's leg. "You are all talking complete nonsense," he said, "because clearly the elephant is just like a tree."

Utterly confused, the fifth blind man stepped forward and grabbed one of the elephant's ears. "You must all be mad - an elephant is exactly like a fan." 

Duly, the sixth man approached, and, holding the beast's tail, disagreed again. "It's nothing like any of your descriptions - the elephant is just like a rope."                                                                                      

And all six blind men continued to argue, based on their own particular experiences, as to what they thought an elephant was like. It was an argument that they were never able to resolve. Each of them was concerned only with their own idea. None of them had the full picture, and none could see any of the other's point of view.  Each man saw the elephant as something quite different, and while in part each blind man was right, none was wholly correct.

There is never just one way to look at something - there are always different perspectives, meanings and perceptions, depending on who is looking......

Be willing to see what's in front of you through different eyes.  Seeing the world from another perspective, from another person's eyes.........can open up a whole different world...Its truly a discovery process.