Perspective Before Planning

How do you navigate life’s pivotal moments with clarity and confidence? Get started with The Paterson Four Helpful Lists - a simple yet powerful tool to assess where you are.

Popular wisdom will often tell us that the “best” way of moving from a problem to its solution is the shortest and fastest way. Want to get from point A to point B? Take a straight line.

This approach is speedy, but also faulty. We might misunderstand what’s causing our problem, or aim for an ineffective solution. If we do, all of our raw energy and speed will only take us off-course sooner, still far from our goals (and often worse for the wear).

At Paterson, we believe that perspective is more valuable than sheer speed. Whether for an individual or an organization, meaningful progress comes from layering insight upon insight, slowly elevating our wisdom. This process leads to what we call an apex of clarity - a moment when the path forward becomes unmistakably clear.

But how do we begin to gain perspective?

The first step is pausing to truly see our current reality, recognize the patterns shaping our path, and identify the obstacles or opportunities ahead.

  • If parts of your life are right, identify them. Start with the positives we tend to ignore. We can optimize – do more of them – if we get them in our perspective. Problems Shout. Opportunities whisper. So, let's listen for truth.

  • If other areas of our life are outright wrong and need to be right, we will identify them in “What is wrong?” We cannot correct or fix what we don’t own.

  • Some things are simply confused. We don’t know if they are right, wrong, or missing. Put these in “What is confused?”

  • Where do you feel voids or feel like something is missing? Identify these in “What is missing?” There is a problem with voids: they are hard to see. A void isn’t a Right, a Wrong, or Confusion. It’s a Void.

START BY LISTING >

What themes emerge?

As you reflect, look for recurring themes in your perspective. Where do you feel tension, frustration, or uncertainty? What challenges keep resurfacing? Noticing these patterns reveals areas that may need attention - signals that it’s time to take action.

Ready to gain deeper clarity and take the next step?

Let’s explore how Paterson can support your journey.

This page may contain trade secrets of Paterson Holdings, LLC (“Paterson”), and the information is for personal use only. Sharing or sale of this information without Paterson’s written consent may subject you to liability for violation of applicable state law(s), the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA), and/or US copyright law.