Discovering your blind spot can set you free.

This past weekend, a colleague and I discussed the role of over-thinking and a busy mind with a group of professional women.

If you’ve been reading my blog for any period of time, you’ll have an understanding of the role thought plays within our lives.

During the course of our conversation, it became clear that amongst this accomplished group of women, there existed varying levels of understanding.

There seemed to be a tipping point at which the role of thought was understood...and then not.

This happens to all of us. Coaches included.

We call them our blind spots; the places or situations in our lives that temporarily blind us to the truth of how life is experienced.

These blind spots often show up in areas in which we experience a tremendous amount of emotion: think parenting or relationships or finances.

Such was the case with these wonderful ladies, as we'd hear them say,“Yes, I understand that we are only ever experiencing our thoughts in the moment, but what about when…”

In answer to their queries, I gave an analogy based on an anecdote from my childhood:

“When I was little, my sister used to flip her long dark hair forward so that it covered her face. She would then begin to move slowly toward me without uttering a word.

It scared the bejesus out of me.

After she’d had her fun and I’d had my scare, I would implore her NEVER to do that to me again.

While on some level, I KNEW that my sister was still my sister when her hair was flipped, I certainly didn’t ACT (in the moment) like I KNEW my sister was still my sister.

In hindsight, I realize that, in those moments of fear, I believed that my sister had morphed into some scary monster.

I was temporarily blind to the truth that my sister was still my sister and not a monster..."

That is how it is with our blind spots.

We no longer see the truth that we are only experiencing thought in the moment.

It seems and feels like something else - something more tangible...something we can point to.

It seems and feels like our partner, or finances or kids or traffic or whatever appears as our blind spot is directly responsible for our feelings.

We become blind to the truth.

How we experience life does not change...no matter the circumstances. No exceptions.

It doesn't matter if the traffic is bad or the kids are yelling or the cheque has bounced or your partner is late or your sister has flipped her hair over her face...

how we experience ALL of those things is an inside job.