Frasch Ideas—Examine, Inquire, Explore

My Point of View

• Posted by Theresa on June 23rd, 2006 filed in My Musings, Book Review, Choices

Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite by Paul Arden has some good views on points of view:

This is a great little book. Pick it up if you have the chance. Fun little things that make you think.

Having an original point of view or angle is a novelty. Recognizing its value is intelligent.

Having the courage to stand up for it in the face of public opinion is what makes you a winner.

The effort of coming to terms with things you do not understand makes them all the more valuable to you when you do grasp them.

So the next time you look at anything observe what effect it has on you and try to form your own opinion. That way you become the critic and not a mouthpiece for someone else’s opinions.

I am not always the best one for expressing my opinions on something (unless it is in writing as you can see). I am not the best verbal opinionator and I want to become better at it.

Blogging makes me braver - it gets me out there with my opinions on whatever I care to comment on.

Journaling did the same thing for me, but to a lessor extent - because nobody knew what I wrote in my journal. So if I chose not to opinionate, nobody knew.

Having a blog with a point of view makes me and my opinions available for anybody to see and therefore discuss.

Toastmasters helps me with this, too. Every meeting we have Table Topics where the leader asks you a question and you have to opine on it for 1 - 2 minutes. Sometimes the questions are fun and lighthearted, sometimes they call for a more in depth answer - maybe some soul-searching in order to come up with your point of view. The nice thing about Toastmasters is that your opinion is your own. Nobody combats it, they are supportive of you getting up and saying what you have to say, whether they agree with it or not.

I’ve been in contact with two different people lately that come across in two different ways.

A: This person tells it like it is. She has an opinion and she is not afraid to tell you. She also respects your opinion. She is very outspoken but in a good humored way. I don’t feel intimidated by her opinions because she knows it is her opinion.

B: This person thinks he has opinions but in reality parrots everything he hears if it fits in his world view. Person B does not have opinions, Person B is RIGHT. Listening to this person talk is like listening to sound bites on TV. He grabs on to something and never lets it go. Whenever the same topic comes up, I already know the sound bite I am going to hear. This person does not respect your opinion because he is RIGHT.

Even if I agree with Person B it can be annoying to hear the same thing over and over. It is hard at times to have a thinking conversation with this person if he has already formed an opinion. If he hasn’t, and he likes my opinion, I could become the next sound bite.

I want to become more like person A instead of being a closet opinionator.

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