Think As Inc

Blind Spots

September 26, 2009 on 9:23 pm | In life coaching | No Comments

We all know someone who looks good all the time –who knows how to dress for any occasion, who looks fabulous effortlessly.  Do we admire that skill (because it is a skill) or do we disdain it and criticize (oh, she’s so vain)? 

The same example can be made about other skills, such as money management.  We all know someone who’s good with money – frugal, disciplined, knowledgeable about finance.  Do we learn from this person or do we demonize her (oh, she’s greedy)?

We all have weaknesses, and we all want to improve them.  However, some weaknesses are blind spots because we don’t recognize them or we don’t admit that a particular area is actually useful.  A good way to identify if you have a blind spot for fashion sense or money management is to see which opinion you shared for each of the above examples.  When we have a blind spot, we resent people who do well in our weak area or rationalize that the skill is not important.  Blind spots are energy drains, and blind you to ways to bring out even more of your talents.

Instead of envying the fashion queen and begrudging the financial guru, learn from them.  Why shouldn’t we look better, have more control over our money, or ___________ (fill in the blank with the skill that you know to be useful but currently don’t have).  Pay attention to moments where you find yourself judging someone negatively for doing something well because these are probably your blind spots.  Obviously, different skills vary in importance for different people, but a financial genius won’t get clients by looking like a mess, and a supermodel can overspend herself into financial ruin.  A breadth of skills is useful to everyone.