Foggy Goggles!

If the doors of perception where cleansed then everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. -William Blake, 1757-1827, an English poet and painter whose work is considered seminal in the history of both poetry and the visual arts.

Have you ever gone skiing before and had your goggles fog up on you? Got lost on a snowy mountain in the flat light of the afternoon? Been sailing and had the fog pour in like pea soup? Been flying in a plane and had the clouds swallow you up? Look at the ocean on a gray day and had the separation between the sky and water erased? I could go on and on but the point is that during moments like this we have many misperceptions and faulty beliefs that could lead to disaster…so why do some people crash while others seem to navigate the hurdles with ease and grace. Is it preparation? Is it ability? Is it luck? I suppose we could really credit many things, but I would still argue that at the root is a simple difference in perception. Is that glass half full or half empty…seems like a sophomoric analogy but why do we always feel like we are owed a more complicated explanation? We have talked in the past about keeping it simple and how the best wisdom in life is straightforward and accessible so why not when it comes to considering a simple question?

This week I have just finished the privilege of training real estate agents on how to effect real change in their businesses during the navigation of a changing economy. What I find more often than not is that most of them have a poor perception of what they are really capable of and it usually stems from seeing the negative side of the coin and missing the point that challenges are nothing but opportunities dressed in wolf’s clothing! I can’t say as I blame them because they are inundated with the negative perceptions of their friends, family and the media in general…so how do you break free from this crazy bondage? My first suggestion is to take a personal inventory of the areas of balance in your life…rate yourself A-F in the six areas of balance: financial, spiritual, psychological, social, familial and physical. Then list a couple of weaknesses and strengths (and yes you do have both so be honest). Then write out five ideas to implement in each category…what you are left with after this exercise is a list of the things that are really important to you! The list is actually an inventory of your goals culled out of the mass of unimportant information fogging your brain.

You see Aristotle argued that man is teleological or in laymen terms: goal seeking! When you have written goals, the fog begins to clear and you tend to move more easily in the direction of those goals. Maybe at first you feel like a newborn baby deer trying to navigate it’s first few steps, but the more you move in the direction of your personal goals and desires, the more the positive chemicals begin to be released in your brain, the better you feel physically and then, thanks to the old psycho-somatic or mind/body connection, the better you think with a clearer sense of perception. Instead of seeing obstacles that cause you to complain and attack the world you see new opportunities to test your new Herculean persona! I’m telling you that this is an emergency because your life is passing you by and if all you’re seeing is what’s wrong then you’re giving it away! STOP IT! Tell the inner infant to stop the whining, stop the finger pointing, stop the back stabbing, stop the complaining, and stop the blaming! Just listen to the words that come out of your own mouth…are they negative even when something happens that is not really that traumatic or problematic? If yes then take action! Lock yourself in a room, take a personal inventory, find out what YOU really want and start moving in that direction…even if it’s baby steps at first! There is always hope for change! Clarify your mind and clean up the foggy goggles!

Tags: Motivation, Self Improvement