Invisible Blind Spots | Life Series

I had written about Visible Blind Spots a while ago and had promised to write about the other type of Blind Spots – Invisible. It is undoubtedly overdue. But here it is.

Read time: about 2 min 39 sec.

This is a tricky one. We are often unaware of it, and it’s certainly not very obvious to others. So, how do we spot this blind spot?

Where there is smoke, there is fire.

The outcome of our lives is a critical lagging indicator of where some of our invisible blind spots lie. I have come to use the following markers to check my BS (not that ‘BS’ – Blind Spot) level.

Disclaimer: I am not qualified to patronize anyone. I understand we all come from different backgrounds and circumstances. And the lives outcome may very well be justifiable. I am only attempting to highlight that if you can relate to any of the below signs and your current circumstances are not presently ideal, then that’s a tell-tale sign that your BS is at work. We are wired to think of ourselves as mostly correct, and it may not be arrogance but ignorance. And in that, we may be barring ourselves from our pure self-awareness for a wholesome living.

Let’s try some examples.

Relationships

How is your relationship with your family, friends (do you have friends?), how is your relationship with your neighbour? How is your relationship with your close colleagues? And my favourite – how’s your relationship with yourself? Are we doing something that may be drawing us closer to our loved ones or tearing us apart? Your answers will decide if you have any invisible BS.

Career

Do you enjoy your work? Do you jump out of your bed every morning (maybe not every morning) to show up to do what you enjoy, or do you drag yourself most of the time? Where is the BS here, you may wonder. It’s in your perception of what you do for a living that can either make it a joy or a burden. That’s where you can find traces of your BS. You don’t want to live your entire life in misery, so either you change what’s around you or change yourself. Changing self is within your reach, so perhaps you start there. Try finding meaning in your job; try adding one value each week and see how it bounces back to you. There is no perfect place to work, so it’s up to us to make the difference.

Financial

Are you scared looking at your bank balance? Is it proportionate to how much you spend compared to what you make? Will some small adjustments make a difference? Check your spending habits. Perhaps you don’t need everything you think you need. Balance your budget and get out of the vicious loop of earning to pay for your ego or someone else’s.

Physical

Physical energy makes the most impact on our perspective on life. Get your power back. Move and strain your muscles. Don’t resolve and get an annual fitness club membership. Try things at home. Take baby steps. You will feel better.

Intellectual Growth 

When was the last time you learnt something new? I am not referring to the innocent, friendly man turned out to be a serial killer at the end of your favourite TV show, but, something that adds to your intellectual level. Do you bury yourself in the daily news and confuse information with knowledge? If so, then it’s time to renew your library card and start planting the knowledge seeds for growth.

Giving

Charity is very personal. Are you able to touch other’s lives in a meaningful way through giving? It doesn’t always have to be money. It could be moral support. It could be through time or just a few words of hope.

All the above are mostly habits formed through repetition either deliberately or subconsciously, and it can be reset with some discipline to form newer habits.

We live only once. Let’s try to make the most of it.

Thank you for sharing some of your precious time with me each week.

Until next week.

Razak
CommonInterest