One of my professors said that much of the drama in our lives is self-inflicted because we tend to act on assumptions rather than fact.
His example:
When you pull up to a red light, what color is it?
The obvious answer is – red.
The real answer is – red to me, but not to someone who is colorblind.
You see, we assume that no one is colorblind and everyone is just like us.
Obviously, identifying the color of “red” lights isn’t the only time in our daily life that we make dangerous assumptions that force us to act on bad information.
We make erroneous judgments about people, their intentions, their motivations and just about everything all the time.
So here’s a powerful tip that can alter your life by changing the way you perceive things:
- Be mindful that what we perceive is not what others may perceive.
- And, the more obvious it appears, the less obvious it is.
Try it for a few days – I’m going to refocus on this myself because the benefits can be immense – Jerry
intently. Not only to the tiny set of ear pods extending from his transistor radio, but closely to whom with he was in conversation.
For those not accustomed to this kind of dedicated, scientific attention, it could seem edgy, slightly unnerving. But, to those who had made the decision to see the whole picture, including that which was still being created – thus not yet visible – this keen attention was yet another mark of his true aim, his committed professionalism.
And most importantly, with this simple, extremely powerful action, he created a wide boulevard which allowed more informed participation from his Programming troops. This has become another fine broadcasting standard for everyone on the staff, well worth it’s time pondering, extrapolating and executing.
Thanks for reminding us, Jer.