I’m fascinated by the way this brief video illuminates how profound the difference can be between how we see ourselves and how others see us. It dramatically depicts how sometimes others see us more accurately or in more kindly ways than we see ourselves (and sometimes, of course, the reverse).

After you view the video, I invite you to also go beyond the matter of visual self-image and contemplate the differences between how you see your gifts/strengths and your deficits/weaknesses, and how others see these in you. And, if you’re an entrepreneur, I additionally invite you to consider how important it is to have reliable input from outside you about all aspects of your business development.

Watching this video has reinforced my appreciation of the importance of discernment my life (and in all our lives): What’s my relationship with my editorials about myself? What’s my relationship with editorials others have about me? Am I impervious to input from within me and/or from others? Do I swallow whole the input I receive from my insides or others as though it’s the truth? Or do I authentically ponder inner and outer input so I can discern which portions of the it “fit” for me, which “fit” with modifications, and which don’t at all?

[Note: When you watch this video, don’t miss the forest for the trees: I invite you to overlook the fact that it turns out at the end that this video was produced by Dove soap. :-)]