You know that thing where you become aware of something—an unfamiliar word, item, image, or action—and then see it again and again, seemingly everywhere you look. It’s called the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon.

…It works in the other direction, as well.

Troxler Fading is an optical illusion where, if we are presented with a steady image in our peripheral vision, we eventually stop seeing it over time.

So if we tend to over-see at first, and stop seeing once something‘s too familiar, how do we see what we need to see to improve?

The answer is to see differently.

How, you ask?

Here’s three ways to start:

1. Step back.

Most of the time you are just too close to see what you need to see.

2. See the other side.

Whatever you are looking at, there’s another side to see it from.

3. Say what you see.

Talking about what you are looking at will make what you see clearer.

I’ll bet if you think about it, almost every significant improvement to your business is a product of seeing something in a different way.

Sherlock Holmes famously said to Watson: “You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear.”

According to the American Optics Association, ”If you have 20/20 vision, you can see clearly at 20 feet what should normally be seen at that distance.”

But your success is not about seeing what can normally be seen, is it?