Today’s blog post is inspired by a recent article from Crystal Theis, The Clash of the Titans in Our Minds. Here is a mind-bending concept – the maps and mapping programs that we use today were based on assumptions made centuries ago. Wait, what?!? This is true. Europe was basically the center of the known world, so the maps were drawn from a European perspective. So imagine completely changing your perspective. You may get a different view, but you will never create the permanent change you’re looking for without fully adopting the new perspective. So, if you find you’ve been vacillating or struggling to make a change, then you may need to revisit your perspective and the underlying assumptions.

If you’re looking at something that looks like a rock, look a little closer. Be wary of the assumptions that look like rock but are nothing more than Styrofoam. The assumptions used to build the Pyramids were rock. We know that because they’re still standing!

Sure, the Pyramids were built on rock-solid assumptions. But what about the Tower of Pisa? And that thought got my mind in motion. What if the Tower of Pisa had been built on something more solid, and it didn’t lean? Would we still care about it? Would it even still be standing? Perhaps the tower with a better construction would have been bulldozed to make way for a shopping mall or a parking lot. So the flaw is actually the differentiator!

Embrace the imperfections that can make a difference. One of the most famous models of my generation is Cindy Crawford. She has a birthmark (also known as a beauty mark) on the right side of her face. Modeling agents asked her to remove it, but she pursued a modeling career anyway. This minor imperfection helped get her noticed.

Another imperfection that turned out to be a difference maker is in the British Invasion band the Kinks. They were not exactly the tightest band, nor were they stellar musicians. But they had something in that ragged grandeur. Sir Raymond Douglas Davies, their bandleader and primary songwriter, once said the reason for his band’s popularity was Flaws. People love our flaws.

The key takeaway: embrace the flaws. Look carefully at what appears to be a rock. It could be Styrofoam.