Perspective is an amazing thing.

 People who look through keyholes are apt to get the idea that most things are keyhole shaped. ~Author Unknown

It never ceases to amaze me (not to self: pay more attention) how by taking a step back and looking as something/one from a different angle, in a different light, or with a different mindset, just how different that thing or person can appear. And how important it is to do this on a regular basis.

They haven't changed. The environment has not changed. It is our change in perspective that gives us new insights and allows us to see the object/person in broader terms and with more depth.

Sometimes that person we see with more clarity is ourselves.

I recently completed The Gabriel Institute's TGI Role-Based Assessment. This is a test, in the same gendre as the Kolbe, Myers-Briggs, and Strength-Finder, but more focused on the role one plays within a work enviroment. I admit, I usually love taking these kinds of things, but this one I found challenging. Based on role-playing, the test takes you through ten "movie scenes" where you are given the overall scenario and then have to pick from ten character roles and identify which: you think you most resemble, you think you least resemble, your freinds would think you most resemble, and your friends think you least resemble. NEVER having aspired to do any type of acting and as someone who cringes when role-playing is part of training or team building this was not an easy task to complete. But I did finish it.

So I received the results the next day and when I read through the report I have to admit I wasn't overly jazzed about what I saw. Some of the analysis hit the nail on the head, and other pieces I felt were off the mark. (note to self: denial is not just a river in Africa) One really useful thing the report did was give me an outside-in view of how perhaps others saw me. Some good, some, well, lets just say I am going to be more focused on a few areas for the next little while. Because while I may not see myself that way, peception is reality, and if I can give others a different, perhaps more positive perspective to view who I am and what I do, then it will be worth it.