It All Comes Down to Perspectives

I took a picture out of the hotel window. When I look at it I see about two inches of snow, no big deal. Here’s a little more information. The picture was taken from my hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, the week of January 26th. Atlanta doesn’t see much snow. What to me looks like a dusting of snow, (I mean, you can’t even build a snowman with it) led Georgia to declare a state of emergency. Highways were impassible. There were accidents and abandoned cars everywhere. Schools closed early, and because of the roads, some the kids ended up sleeping at school or on freezing cold school buses.

The hotel I was staying in became a refugee camp. People slept on chairs and sofas in the lobby, the hotel operated on a skeleton staff for two days because people couldn’t get to work and those that were there were sleeping on cots. I kept thinking… “Come on guys… it’s TWO inches of snow”.

What I was forgetting was that snow is something I’m very familiar with. I know how to deal with it. We have shovels and salt easily accessible. I have a warm coat and boots. Because I am prepared for snow I can succeed in a snowy environment and enjoy it. For other people snow is unfamiliar. Sure they know what it is, but rarely, if ever, have to deal with it. They are unprepared. They don’t have the proper equipment or clothing. They don’t understand the impact it can have.

So while I looked at the snow and thought … 2 inches of snow… what’s the big deal? It was a very big deal for the people of Atlanta.

So what does this have to do with your business?

It all comes down to perspective and recognizing your (or someone else’s) experience and not judging results.

For example: There are times when I try something new. Maybe I see another business owner doing it and think I’ll have good results because that’s what I see happening “out there”. However, when I try it, nothing goes as planned and my results are lackluster or worse.

Other times, I am the one who is doing something well and I watch other people try to do it. They often fail.

There is nothing wrong with trying new things. The problem comes in when you judge yourself for not succeeding when others do, or you judge others for not living up to your expectations.

Trying new things is hard, especially when you don’t get the results you want. It’s easy to think you’re simply not good at it and just give up. The good news is that success is usually close by. If you try something that doesn’t work, even though everyone else can seem to make it work, give yourself permission to try again, you just might find that with a little more experience you get the results you want.

The one thing I do know about Atlanta is that it will snow there again. Maybe not this year or even next, but it will snow. I hope that Atlanta learned a few lessons to make the next snowfall easier on its citizens.