at the age of twenty-five, i have had the privilege of working as both a manager for a large retail company and an owner of my own small business. i now have the unique experience of working as a sales associate for a multinational computer corporation.

i've been around the job experience block (already) which gives me a different perspective on the way stores are run. the definition of work. the definition of management. the definition of development. the definition of promotion. so on & so forth.

today, i realized that my unique experiences & different perspective are, in fact, just that - unique & different. often, people forget the job qualifications & expectations of others. and it's incredibly easy to criticize what we don't comprehend or what we've never done ourselves.

perspective is often so far from the realm of reality.

so, what do you do? my advice is... walk a mile in their shoes... teach a man to fish... do it with an open mind... play devil's advocate... assume positive intent... think before you speak... grasp the situation before you handle it.

of course, this is all easier said than done, but it's still something we should practice. daily. with family. with friends. with coworkers. with strangers. it might make the world more pleasant. and, if nothing else, i promise you'll learn something.