Seek first to understand.  This is one of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  We all want to be understood and have our viewpoint heard.  Viewpoints are as numerous and varied as the people who possess them.  The person who has effective relationships understands the importance of recognizing the perspective of others.

A story is told by the father of a son who had just turned four years old.  The little boy had requested his own spot in the family’s garden that year.  He prepared the soil and planted corn, his favorite vegetable.  By mid-July the little boy was getting concerned that the corn was not growing enough.  His father tried to reassure him by sharing the familiar target of farmers – “knee high by the fourth of July.”  The young child replied, “my knees or yours?”

Racing through life with our eye on our destination and no concern for the situation of our fellow travelers is assured to lead us down the wrong road.  It is when we focus on the needs of others first that we are successful.  One of Zig Ziglar’s most popular quotations is, “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”

Take time to identify their perspective so you can live . . . your life to the fullest.