Blind Spots

When I was young, maybe seven or eight, a relative of my grandmother came to visit the family farm. She was a couple of years older than me and blind.  Unfortunately, I can’t remember her name after all these years, but I remember the day often.  She had a Braille watch and typewriter. I was so impressed with her independence and excitement about “seeing” new things. My job during their visit was to show her around the farm. I remember it was hay baling season and we went down to the barn to lay on hay that had yet to be moved from the wagon to the barn.  It was a warm summer day and she asked me to describe what the surroundings looked like.  I would say things like the sun is a mix of yellow and orange and the sky is very blue with puffy white clouds, except she had never seen yellow, orange, white, or blue and I struggled to come up with ways to make her “see” this wonderful day.  Blue, I said, was cool while orange and yellow were warm. We played the warmer-cooler game all day as we talked about the grass, the hay,  the cows, my pony, and our lives.  Throughout the entire day, as we explored, I was busy describing the scenery, holding her hand, and guiding her through the farm world that I loved so much.

Even those of us blessed to be fully sighted, have blind spots.  Areas in our lives where we fail to recognize our potential negative impact on situations, others, or ourselves. There are many reasons blind spots develop, power and perceived helplessness can limit or block our range of view.  Our environment and experiences can determine how we create unintentional behaviors and beliefs that we are often blind to.  Ethical biases and learned habits become blind spots. 

Sometimes we purposely put on blinders.  Blinders can work in both directions, we fail to see our blind spots or we turn a blind eye to the actions of others.  Motivational blindness is the inclination to look the other way when witnessing the unethical actions of others, we don blinders, sensing them to be in our best interest.

As a result of my weekend with a distant cousin, for many years I practiced being blind. This practice of functioning without my sight enabled me to walk through my home, eyes closed, tripping only occasionally.  However, when we nurture our blind spots it can lead to an ever-increasing narrowed vision and poor judgment.  We potentially start letting those blind spots steer our thoughts and decisions which then lead us off course, away from a vivid life and down a dark winding road.

The process of correcting blind spots often includes seeking input from others.  It may take another person holding the mirror up for us to see or recognize areas that need our attention.  Change, especially internal change, takes effort, courage, and accountability as we create our action plan and gradually gain sight in dark areas.

When coaching, the memory of that summer sometimes returns.  I find myself in the privileged position of guiding and helping others steer through blind spots.  Often it is very much like playing that warmer-cooler game as we gain insights and design course corrections to find the best path forward.

If you’ve been looking for someone to hold the mirror for you so you can adjust your vision or act as a guide, contact me to book a free coaching call. Together we can partner as you regain clear vision.