Being a professional speaker and seminar facilitator, I found that it was quite an experience to sit in the studio and watch myself for hours on film. It's not an easy thing to do, but it is a valuable experience that I would suggest for anyone.

The purpose was to edit a series of video clips and get a composite short film that demonstrates the range of my ability to speak and work with people, and the process was humbling but quite stimulating. I was feeling kind of down that day, but I have to tell you that it gave me a whole new perspective.

Now that I have regained my perspective, my point directly relates to you: When do you lose your perspective?

It's an easy thing to do, as a senior executive, a mother and a wife, or a teenager. Life comes with situational swings, and we sometimes lose perspective on just how valuable a contribution we are making to others.

Make no mistake: Professional athletes make ardent use of film to judge their performance. Now think about this: Actors must rely on the popular opinion of their audience, but athletes can rely on concrete measurements of their performance. What a difficult position to experience.

I'm glad I liked my performance on film. I'm a real film buff and tend to be critical of myself.

That's the point: We are our worst audience. I'll bet as you read this, you are saying to yourself, "Not me." Yeah, right.

I used to think comedy was fun and easy, so I took Jeff Justice's comedy class. I flunked!

Now that didn't seem right. I'm a very funny guy, or so my dates tell me. Just try being funny on demand. Oh, yeah, I have a great observational sense of humor, but what I'm trying to tell you is that it's all about perspective.

So when you're down, think about that and call me, or go to an improv class and laugh your head off. The camera is a live mirror, but you can include others and their reaction.

In a seminar, given the luxury of time and facilities, we put you through exercises that give you different perspectives, viewpoints, all of which are designed to broaden your scope and understanding of goals you may have and issues or challenges you may face in handling them.

Sometimes we use a camera, but usually it's the live feedback from other participants, processed by the facilitator, that pulls it all together for you.

There are many ways to get a better perspective on yourself. The key is to work on it now and avoid a crisis.

Jerry Stein, motivational speaker and executive coach, can be reached at jerry@careercoach.com or (770) 988-0500. Go to www.careercoach.com for more info and to sign up for his free newsletter.