{"id":16535,"date":"2024-09-17T08:33:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T16:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/?p=16535"},"modified":"2024-09-16T12:54:31","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T20:54:31","slug":"wheres-your-blindspot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2024\/09\/17\/wheres-your-blindspot\/","title":{"rendered":"Where\u2019s Your Blind Spot?"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the questions I\u2019ve gotten from people interested in my Foundations<\/a> program (opening next week!) is whether they need to work on all<\/em> their foundations.<\/p>\n

A pretty typical response has been like this:<\/p>\n

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\u201cI feel pretty good about my gym routine and my finances. It\u2019s my relationships that aren\u2019t doing so well.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Or,<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m good with my family and friends, but I haven\u2019t been exercising much lately.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In other words, when assessing their overall foundations, most people can see some areas that are in obvious need of repair as well as some that they feel okay about.<\/p>\n

Something that looks a bit like this:<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s nothing wrong with that picture. Life is dynamic and ever-changing. So while a good habit or system can last longer, there’s always going to be disruptions that set you back. And, for some of us, we may feel like we’ve never adequately figured out some aspects of our life, and so they remain sticking points.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019d argue that this picture is missing something important. It’s not simply the foundations that obviously need work that cause problems. Instead, the ones that seem fine but are secretly cracking are the most dangerous.<\/p>\n

Blind Spots and Hidden Weaknesses<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The inside of your eye is backwards. Instead of the wiring for your retina running directly toward your brain where it becomes vision, it first projects outward and then bundles back into the optic nerve. This little detour creates a spot in each eye where you can’t see: your blind spot.<\/p>\n

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The thing about your blind spot, though, is that you never see it! It\u2019s not as if we walk around with gaping holes in our field of view. Instead, your brain automatically \u201cfills in\u201d whatever it thinks should be there to create a seemless picture.<\/p>\n

(Don’t believe me? Try this demonstration<\/a> to prove it to yourself!)<\/p>\n

Something analogous occurs when we think about how our life is going. Essentially, we run into three different observations of any area of our life:<\/p>\n

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  1. Life is going well. The foundation in my life is supporting me, and I’m not concerned about it.<\/li>\n
  2. I\u2019m facing obvious problems. Your foundation has slipped, and now you’re facing a clear challenge.<\/li>\n
  3. I think things are going well, but I’m actually facing problems. These are your blind spots, all the areas of your life that seem fine only because you aren’t really paying attention to them. Like the missing parts of your field of view, you don\u2019t notice them, but the problems they create don\u2019t immediately redirect your attention.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

    What are examples of foundational blind spots?<\/h2>\n