How to Conquer Your Blind Spots
The Elephant in Your Life.
“The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.”― Leonardo da Vinci
What we see clouds our judgment; what we don’t see bias our behaviors.
Six men in a village went to observe an elephant. It was their first time — all of them were blind.
“It’s a pillar.” said the man who touched the elephant’s leg.
“No, it’s like a rope.” — said other after touching the tail.
The blind men began to argue; everyone believed he was right. After observing the elephant, the rest thought that it was either a snake, spear, hand fan or branch.
A wise man who was passing by calmly explained: “You are all right. Everyone noticed something different because each of you touched a different part; the elephant has all the features you all said.”
Our reality is like the elephant in this Indian parable: everyone observes parts of it. That’s why others can see aspects of yourself that you are missing.
The problem with blind spots is that you don’t know what you don’t know.
To get the whole picture of who you are, you need to consider other people’s perspectives, not just yours.
