Perspective: the choice is yours

My husband, a police officer, remarked to me recently the two predominant responses when parents with their children see him working in uniform.

Some parents will say educationally to their children: “There’s a police officer, if you’re ever in trouble, that’s who you go to, he’ll help”.

Other parents will say educationally to their children: “There’s a police officer, if you do bad things, he’s going to lock you up”.

Two different perspectives on the same exact situation. Two different educational lessons taught to their children.

It reminded me of two of my favourite educational fables.

The first, two sales people are sent to Africa with the mandate: “Sell shoes!” One calls home a week later asking to be relieved of duty saying, “No-one here wears shoes”. The second calls after the first week saying, “Send more shoes – nobody here wears shoes!”

Two different perspectives on the same exact situation. Where one sees predestined failure, the other sees unlimited opportunity.

The second, twin sons of a hardened criminal were studied throughout their lives. One ended up behind bars, just like his father, repeating many of the same mistakes. When questioned as to how he got there, he simply remarked, “With a father as a role model like that, how could I do anything else?” The second son ended up flourishing with a thriving career, a clean criminal record and a happy family. When questioned as to how he got there, he simply remarked, “With a father as a role model like that, how could I do anything else?”

Two different perspectives on the same exact situation. Where one saw no choice but to repeat the mistakes laid forth, the other used them as a road map for what not to do.

In life, we can’t always control what “happens” to us, or the situations we’re placed in. The only thing we do have control over is the way we adapt to and react to those situations and ultimately the perspective we choose to have over what has happened.

Kirsty Dunphey is the youngest ever Australian Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year, author of two books (her latest release is Retired at 27, If I Can do it Anyone Can) and a passionate entrepreneur who started her first business at age 15 and opened her own real estate agency at 21. Now Kirsty does lots of fun things which you can read about here. Her favourite current projects are Elephant Property, a boutique property management agency, Baby Teresa, a baby clothing line that donates an outfit to a baby in need for each one they sell andReallySold, which helps real estate agents stop writing boring, uninteresting ads.