Blind Spots:

We are a aproduct of our perceptions. They define who we are and the way that we interact with the world. They are the lynchpin in our lives and as such, they are the portion of our lives that we need to work on the most if we want to change the way that we live in an effort to reach the life that we want.  

The problem is, that since we interact with the world through theses perception filters, we end up becoming blind to things outside those filters more often than not. I most certainly have become blind to some things in the course of my life and work on and refine the perception filters that I have and I have watched others with the same issue. I can watch those around me making the same mistakes over and over again because their blind spots keep tripping them up and they never even notice what is actually going on. I know that I am the same way and that when I trip up, my filters translate that into something that the filter understands rather than seeing it as the blind spot that it really is. For example, somewhere in my youth I was trained that people that are overweight don’t contribute as well or effectively as people who are fit. I haven’t been able to track down where that perception came from and it isn’t something that I am proud to know that I have at all, but I have to realize it to see the blind spot it creates in me. It makes it so that I pre-judge people who are overweight in a negative way and subconsciously dismiss their contributions and their abilities. This is a perception that I am working hard to change, but part of that change is accepting that I have it so that the filters it places in my don’t work outside my notice. Everyone has these kinds of perception filters and blind spots.

I have decided that this is unacceptable for me and now I have to add another step into my learning. I am going looking for those blind spots. Since they are not something that I will see and understand with my current perception filter when they occur, I need to build an extra layer into my current filter. For me, this is a layer that stops me when something trips me up and takes steps to analysis what actually happened, and more importantly, how my actions contributed to that outcome. This gives me the space to look at the situation and identify the blind spot I had that allowed that outcome to happen.  Armed with this new filter and the new way of looking at the world, I can find those parts of my filters and obscure and keep those blind spots hidden. Once I know about those spots, I can take steps to modify or work on them and that will create a better and more fulfilled me and therefore a more fulfilled life.

This is a process that I have to go through on a constant basis and requires me to seek out not only the faults in my own outlook on the world, but to find outlooks that differ from mine so that I can expand my horizons and my ability to see things in new lights. Maybe the things I learn don’t actually serve me in my life, but it does serve to adapt my perceptions so that I can see the world in a more robust and effective way, and that will only work to increase my ability to travel the path to my ultimate goals.

What blind spots have you found in the past and how have you adapted your filters so that you can see them and grow beyond them tripping you up?