Reality Check, We All Have Blind Spots
Reality Check, We All Have Blind Spots
Reality Check, We All Have Blind Spots
I was talking to someone last week after a presentation, and she said, “All this leadership and communication stuff is great, but it doesn’t really apply to me. Everyone likes me.”
That may be true sister, but let’s face it, you don’t know what you don’t know. We all have blind spots. A blind spot is a part of our personality or behavior that we’re not aware of, yet others can see it. And regardless of our intelligence, emotional or otherwise, we all have them.
If you want to continue to grow, personally or professionally, it helps to become more self-aware.
If you’re ready for a reality check and want to uncover your blind spots, try these suggestions:
- You have to want to know what your blind spots are. If you’re not ready to uncover them, that’s ok. Ignorance is bliss and sometimes we’re not in a place to “work” on our own issues. Give yourself permission not to worry about it until it’s something you can really focus on.
- If you do seek feedback, be prepared to listen without getting defensive. Ask questions and make statements, but don’t attack and don’t defend.
- Ask the people who know you and care about you to be honest and give you constructive feedback. Giving feedback is a risk, so be grateful if people are willing to give it.
- Pick one area and focus on it. Behavior changes one of three ways: rarely, slowly, or never. Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew. It will become overwhelming and nothing will change.
- Seek on-going feedback and make it safe for people to provide it. If you get defensive and argumentative, people will stop giving you feedback.
- Ask for positive, as well as constructive feedback. Ask others about your strengths and where they see you making progress.
- It’s a journey, not a destination. No matter how enlightened we are, we’ll always have some blind spots, and that’s ok. Continuously striving for progress is the goal.
How do you uncover your blind spots? Comment below!
I don’t know about you, but when the weather starts warming up and flowers start blooming, I suddenly feel the urge to clean everything. Closets, junk drawers, my email inbox, that mysterious Tupperware graveyard in the kitchen…the list goes on.
But here’s the thing most people forget: The most important space to declutter isn’t your garage—it’s your mind.
Here are 5️⃣ ways to give your brain a fresh start and reclaim some peace, time, and energy. 🧠
1. Clear Digital Clutter.
2. Do a Mental Sweep.
3. Prioritize Like a Pro.
4. Drop the Cape.
5. Breathe. For Real.
I’m sharing more in this month’s blog post! Link is in my bio 👆👆
Create a mantra this week, put it on a sticky note where you will see it, and say it often. Here is mine:
May I find joy
May I find peace
May I feel love
May I be at ease
#mindfulmonday #mindfulness #mantra #selflove #resilience
Take a break from your screen this weekend. 📲
Last week, I had the honor of speaking for the talented recruiting team at @bcg at the beautiful @rcchicago. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with BCG for 14 years, and they just keep getting better!
Midweek reminder to put your oxygen mask on first. 🗣
Today, I turn 5️⃣0️⃣. FIFTY! Like, half a century. I’m not sure how that happened because in my head I’m still 29 (but with better boundaries and worse joints).
As I cross this milestone with a few more laugh lines, a couple of scars, and a stronger appreciation for stretchy pants, here are a few things I’ve learned:
🏃♀️ Chase joy like it’s your job.
Life is loud and hectic, and it will gladly eat up every minute if you let it. Make time for things that make you laugh and bring you joy. Those are the moments that matter.
✨ Prioritize your people.
Your job is important, but it’s not your identity. The people you love are the greatest predictor of your happiness, health, and even how long you stick around. Nurture those relationships like your life depends on it—because it kinda does.
💪 Get uncomfortable.
Comfort zones feel safe but they are cozy little traps. Stay there too long and you start to shrink instead of grow. Try stuff that scares you a little. Be bad at something new. Say yes before you feel ready. Awkward is the price of admission for awesome.
🧠 Your body is not a rental.
It’s the only one you get. After a tumor, back surgery, and a triple fusion neck surgery in the not too distant future, I’ve learned the hard way: do not take your health for granted. Move and be active while you can.
🔌 Don’t waste your energy sweating the small stuff.
Because the big stuff will hit the fan—and that’s when you’ll need your mental and emotional strength. The rest will work itself out (or at least give you a funny story to tell later).
Thanks for being in my life. I appreciate you.
Here’s to another 50 years of grit, grace, and mildly inappropriate humor. 🎉
Read Up on Resilience!
Anne’s Books Available on Amazon.com!
Anne Grady is a Speaker, Author, and #TruthBomb Dropper.
Anne shares practical strategies that can be applied both personally and professionally to improve relationships, navigate change, and triumph over adversity. And she’ll make you laugh while she does it. Anne is a two time TEDx speaker, and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fast Company and Inc. magazines, CNN, ESPN, and FOX Business. She is the best selling author of 52 Strategies for Life, Love & Work and Strong Enough: Choosing Courage, Resilience and Triumph.
“You don’t know what you don’t know. That is a great statement.
Great advice!! Had to share some feedback with a friend over the weekend regarding how he communicates with another person who he’d been complaining about. It was a minefield, but went really well (and he already knew what I was saying was true, so that helped a lot), but when carefully worded, it can be great for everyone involved.
Hi Val! Sounds like you did your friend a huge favor, and props to you for taking the time and risk to provide feedback!
Wow. That’s great. I always say, “sometimes I may say things you may not like, so I apologize in advance, but if I hurt your feelings, let me know.” We all have people that like us, but those that don’t may never say it. I loved that statement ” you don’t know what you don’t know.” Thank you Anne! That was great.
Thanks, Juanita! I like the way you preface giving feedback. Great idea.