Blind Spot:

  1. a subject about which you are ignorant or prejudiced and fail to exercise good judgment.
  2. an area to the side and slightly behind a driver's field of vision that is not reflected in the vehicle's rearview mirror.

Currently, I drive a Honda Accord, a sedan, but every so often, I drive my dad's Honda Pilot, a midsize family SUV. 

What I enjoy most about SUVs is their visibility. In my Honda Accord, my vision is often limited by the car in front of me, but in the Pilot, I can see miles ahead. Also, its grandiose presence increases my visibility to other drivers on the road, which makes me feel a bit safer as I navigate.

Coupled with the increased visibility is the increased blindspots, a clear drawback of SUVs. 

When I switch to the Pilot, I consciously remind myself that I'm no longer driving my sedan. Because a few times, I've been on the highway and attempted to switch lanes abruptly, only to hear a loud honk. Then see a car emerge from my blind spot.

In my Accord, because it's a sedan, it's a lot harder for cars to sit in my blindspot without me noticing or feeling their presence. However, in the Pilot, especially when you're making abrupt lane changes, it's easy to miss a car. 

Moreover, what I've come to realize is that more visibility (vision) comes with more blind spots — both in driving and in life. 


DISC

Last year November, I took the DISC Index, an assessment that helps you understand your behavioral style and how to maximize your potential. After completing the assessment, I got a 20-page report that provided an in depth look at my four behavioral dimensions, strengths, areas to focus on improving, and more. 

Overwhelmed by the lengthy report, I skimmed and tossed it to the side, revisiting 3-months later in February. As I reviewed my results, two comments about my personality stood out: 

  • You prefer to focus on the big-picture and the future, not the details or the past.
  • You can miss smaller but important details because you were moving too fast or focused too much on the big picture.

As I approach the 2-year mark of my resignation from Corporate America, much comes to mind while reflecting on my journey. Now more than ever, I'm dwelling on what the DISC assessment exposed, my blindspots.

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18 wheeler

"A commercial truck's blind spot extends 20 feet to the front and 30 feet in the back. The left side runs down the truck's cab length, and the right side similarly runs down the truck's cab length and extends three lanes of traffic." 

With the increased visibility that comes with driving a truck, comes blindspots. As a result, being a commercial truck driver requires a level of patience. Impulsive decision making, like a last minute lane change can cause server harm to another driver if they're in your blind spot. 

Moreover, the more visibility (vision) you have the more patience you need. Because if you rush, you could be overlooking something in your blind spot.

Going over my test with my mom, she laughed and said, "ain't that the truth," when we got to those two bullets. Although I have no regrets about leaving, looking back I would handle things differently with my mom. She tried to make me aware of my blind spots, and I resented her for it. 

Unfortunately, when you don't know yourself or your blind spots, the people pointing them out seem like the enemy. I used to think to myself, why is she against me? Why can't she just support me? But in reality, she was like a passenger riding shotgun alerting me of the car in my blindspot.

As a visionary/ big picture person, I took my mom's feedback as her thinking small. I thought her comments were motivated by her scarcity mindset. Not being aware of my natural blindspots caused a lot of frustration and tension between our relationship early on.

Your Vision is Not as Clear as You Think. 

“Most true visionary has unusual energy, creativity, enthusiasm, and a propensity for taking risks. This can be disruptive, as they love to break the mold. The solution is a partner/people who are the voice of reason, who filters all of the visionary’s ideas, and helps eliminate hurdles, stumbling blocks, and barriers."

The world admires the visionaries. The people daring enough to bet on themselves. But the people who are often overlooked are the voices of reason in their life. The people who helped them make decisions, whether it be a spouse, parent, or friend. A critical part of being a visionary is surrounding yourself with people who will make your vision clearer.

Moreover, I believe we were created with blindspots to remind us that this life journey is supposed to be done with others. Nonetheless, today’s take away is to get to know yourself, what are your gifts and talents, and what are the inherent blind spots that come with it.