Change Your Point of View

Imagine you're in London's Heathrow Airport. While you're waiting for yourflight, you notice a kiosk selling shortbread cookies. You buy a box, putthem in your traveling bag and then you patiently search for an availableseat so you can sit down and enjoy your cookies.Finally you find a seatnext to a gentleman. You reach down into your traveling bag and pull out yourbox of shortbread cookies.As you do so, you notice that the gentleman starts watching you intensely.He stares as you open the box and his eyes follow your hand as you pick upthe cookie and bring it to your mouth. Just then he reaches over and takesone of your cookies from the box, and eats it! You're more than a littlesurprised at this. Actually, you're at a loss for words. Not only does hetake one cookie, but he alternates with you. For every one cookie youtake, he takes one.Now, what's your immediate impression of this guy? Crazy? Greedy? He's gotsome nerve?! Can you imagine the words you might use to describe this manto your associates back at the office? Meanwhile, you both continue eating thecookies until there's just one left. To your surprise, the man reaches overand takes it. But then he does something unexpected. He breaks it in half,and gives half to you. After he's finished with his half he gets up, andwithout a word, he leaves.You think to yourself, "Did this really happen?" You're left sitting theredumbfounded and still hungry. So you go back to the kiosk and buy anotherbox of cookies. You then return to your seat and begin opening your new boxof cookies when you glance down into your traveling bag. Sitting there inyour bag is your original box of ookies -- still unopened.Only then do you realize that when you reached down earlier, you hadreached into the other man's bag, and grabbed his box of cookies by mistake. Nowwhat do you think of the man? Generous? Tolerant? You've just experienced aprofound paradigm shift. You're seeing things from a new point of view.Is it time to change your point of view?Now, think of this story as it relates to your life . Seeing things from anew point of view can be very enlightening. Think outside the box. Don'tsettle for the status quo. Be open to suggestions. Things may not be what they seem.