Perspective: The Hidden Image You’re Missing

You’ve seen those images, the ones that can be two things at once.

At first glance, your brain grabs one option and calls it “the answer.” A duck. An old woman. A vase. Done.

But then someone says, “Look again.”

And suddenly the second image shows up like it was there the whole time… because it was.

That’s how perspective works.

Your brain picks a pattern and sticks with it

Your brain is efficient. It wants quick certainty, not endless consideration.

So it:

• recognizes a pattern

• labels it as truth

• repeats it because familiarity feels safe

That’s why most of us operate from one perspective, the only one we’ve been shown, the only one we’ve practiced, the only one that’s ever been rewarded.

I’ve seen this coaching hundreds of professionals

When people tell me they’re stuck, they usually assume the problem is effort.

They think:

• “I need to push harder.”

• “I need to be more consistent.”

• “I need a better plan.”

Sometimes that’s true.

But more often, the real issue is simpler: they’re using a strategy that used to make sense. Their brain locked onto that pattern. And now they’re trying to force old logic onto a new season.

That’s not laziness. That’s not failure. That’s perspective.

Because you can’t adjust for what you don’t realize you’re missing.

When the “same effort” stops producing results

Here’s what it looks like in real life:

• You’re doing all the “right” things, but results feel stuck.

• You’re busy, but it’s not translating into momentum.

• You keep tweaking tactics, but nothing actually changes.

That’s often a signal you’re solving the wrong problem really well.

And that happens when you can only see one image.

Three signs you’re in one perspective (and don’t know it)

1) You keep repeating the same solution

Even when the environment has changed, you default to what worked before.

2) New ideas irritate you more than they interest you

That’s your brain protecting the only frame it trusts.

3) You feel like the next step is “obvious”… but it isn’t working

If it were obvious and effective, you’d already be moving.

How to find the second image

You don’t need a total overhaul. You need a new angle.

Ask questions that break the pattern

Try these:

• What am I assuming is true that might be outdated?

• If I couldn’t use my current strategy, what would I try next?

• What’s the simplest explanation for why this isn’t working anymore?

• What am I refusing to consider because it challenges how I see myself?

Borrow someone else’s eyes

Sometimes you’re too close to it.

A coach, mentor, peer, someone outside your default thinking can point to the thing you can’t see yet and say, “There. That.”

Not because you’re incapable. Because perspective has blind spots by design.

Test instead of debate

Pick one small experiment:

• one new message

• one different offer

• one changed follow-up approach

• one boundary that protects your energy

• one shift in who you’re targeting

Let results tell you what’s true.

The punchline

In that image I mentioned in the beginning of this block, the second picture isn’t created when you notice it.

It was always there.

Same with the next level in your business, your leadership, your life.

If you’re feeling stuck, don’t assume you’re broken.

Assume you’re looking at the first image your brain latched onto.

And there’s another one hiding in plain sight — waiting for you to see it.

P.S. If this resonated, there’s a good chance you don’t need to work harder — you need a new perspective. That’s exactly what the Rethink Everything You Know About Business Planning Workshop is designed to do. It’s a space to step back, challenge old patterns, and see what’s been there all along — but just outside your current frame.

If you’re feeling stuck or like your efforts aren’t translating into results, this might be the shift you’ve been missing. You can learn more and save your spot here!