Have you ever wondered where the expression to know something or someone “like the back of your hand” comes from? Despite not knowing its origins I have recently learnt that in several studies that have been conducted only 5% of people are able to recognise their own hands (“Definitive Book of Body Language” by Allan & Barbara Pease). So where is the discrepancy? Have we been conditioned to thinking we know something when in reality, when faced with the challenge of identifying it we cannot describe it? I couldn’t help but wonder what areas of our lives this applies to.
Do we stop paying attention when we think we know it all and have all the answers? A simple exercise that caught me out the other day was to describe in detail the face of my wrist watch. I was convinced it had Roman numerals when in fact it had little dots to represent the numbers. Rather surprisingly, I was unable to describe anything precisely!
For so many things in work and life the little details are very important yet surprisingly we seem to be unaware of them. If this is the case, how can we possibly have an accurate overall picture? We are faced with hundreds of images everyday and our brain automatically makes choices of what to focus on. How do we know if we are focussing on the most relevant things? Take a look at the following video.
If you cannot see the video on here view it directly on You Tube.
What was your reaction? If you were one of those who missed it, fear not, most people do!
What if we could keep an eye on the ball of our own lives whilst ensuring we are in tune with our surroundings to take advantage of potential opportunities? Whilst we all view the world in a different way as we are unique individuals, we all have the power to make decisions and we can chose to do anything we want. On a personal level, coaching has helped me determine what is significant to me; figure out what I am looking for, where I want to focus my attention and energy, yet continue to be aware of the bigger picture. I have learnt that if you remain open minded then everything else will follow. Before you know it you can count the passes, see the bear, describe the players and anything else you want to do!
Excellent job.
Miriam here. Just wanted to drop in and tell you that I agree with what you say here… It’s hard for me to make a good comment as I’m kind of new to this whole ‘blog thing’, but I guess I’m doing it alright? – Miriam