What we cannot see is often what hinders us the most. Have you ever been told by someone close to you that you act a certain way, but fail to see it? What have people told you that caught you by surprise? How did it make you feel when you heard this news? I will let you in on a few truths that lie within each one of us. First, we all have blind spots that conceal our awareness. Second, you can shift your perspective to help become aware of who you are; and last, you can use your blind spots to build relationships with others.
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, a blind spot as it relates to human behavior is defined as: “An area in which one fails to exercise judgment or discrimination.” This means that there are different frames of view within our conscious mind that we fail to see. Coming from an outside perspective, others can see these blind spots when the one expressing the blind spot is left unaware of their behavior. The blind spots that we currently possess, we are not aware of. It takes an awakening from another person or unfamiliar situation to help uncover our awareness of a particular behavior. We all possess blind spots; however, it is only a matter of uncovering them through awareness that will help us understand who we are and how we operate. Blind spots can hinder us, or they can help us. Becoming aware of the types of behavior that we do automatically gives us the ability to have the choice of changing our behavior. If we have developed an unwanted behavior, this gives us the opportunity to shift our perspective to develop the behavior we want to see in our lives. If we have developed a positive quality in our behavior this can help us serve our strengths in who we are. Most of the time we think we know exactly who we are, but when we present ourselves in unfamiliar situations, our blind spots start to uncover themselves. Becoming aware of our strengths or weaknesses in our behavior gives us the opportunity to choose to shift our perspective to create the outcome we want. What do you choose? After discovering our blind spots, we can now help others by changing our behavior to positively impact our surroundings. Awareness of our blind spots whether positive or negative can help us build relationships with the people we surround ourselves with. If we become aware of a negative behavior, we can now change that behavior to prevent future problems. Becoming aware of a positive behavior can help us to live in our strengths and propel us to reach our full potential. Whatever behavior you discover as a blind spot, now gives you the ability to make a positive impact on your environment. This process of self-discovery now gives you the gift of living the positive, authentic example you choose to create. What have you done to discover your blind spots? What example do you want to live by? Take the time today to help discover your true, authentic self. This is your time to start leading your life, your business, and your community! Live to your strengths and use your blind spots to start serving others. With Authenticity, Carl Are you a leader? Do you think you have the ability to lead? If you struggled to answer yes to these questions, I have news for you…everyone has the opportunity to be a leader! Leadership does not require a title, position, or a distinguished degree; rather it requires taking on a challenge to fulfill a common goal with the support of others. It is the ability to make a substantial amount of influence among a common purpose. Leadership is living the example that you want to set out for others. What challenge do you have? How can you make a positive influence in your life, your business, or your community? Be the leader that you know you can be and be the change that you seek to make is this world!
When I was growing up as a child I was surrounded by the positive influence of my parents while living a life out on the farm, hunting with my family, and spending time in the outdoors. It was not until after college that I realized my passion for leadership started with my family. My dad would always lead the large convoy of people out for the big hunt on opening weekend of pheasant season, while my mom would lead and support our family through difficult times. My parents had exemplified leadership throughout my entire youth even though my siblings and I might not have even realized it. Being surrounded by their positive influence, I have developed the passion of providing leadership for others to create a positive, authentic life that seeks to serve others to do the same. This led me to pursue my education in leadership to help fulfill my cause. I believe the lack of leadership in our society is one of greatest challenges we face today. Because of this, I seek to make lasting change through my community, the organizations I involve myself with, and the world to help others through life. Discovering my challenge and continually fighting for my leadership cause is my goal for helping to lead the change that I want to see in this world. What do you believe is a life worth living? What cause do you want to help change to impact those around you? In the words of one of the great leaders and authors in our history, Ralph Waldo Emerson states, “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” You are a leader that is waiting to be unleashed. Find your challenge and be the positive influence for the legacy you intend to leave. Go out there and lead your charge by living the example that will transform your world! Lead your charge, Carl How many people do you know today that you can say are 100 percent truly living out their authentic self? How often do you find this in the people you come across? In today’s world it is hard to find genuine, authentic people that display integrity and line up their actions with their words. In our world we try to hold up a perfect outside reputation of ourselves instead of investing in the inside character that we most desperately need. Think of a time where you thought you did a good job of representing your true self to someone? How did that make you feel when you expressed your true thoughts and beliefs?
In my past and especially in college I had always been pressured to do what society was telling me to do. I would be told I needed to make a lot of money, be athletic, be tough, or get into a career that made me look like I was successful just like every other man out there. I began to reflect on what it meant to be successful and found that the more I focused on what society wanted me to be, the less happy I became. I was being forced to be someone that I am not and to do the things that would look good in society’s eyes instead of my own. I had to be valued by my peers instead of being valued by myself. This realization of not conforming to society and standing up for my beliefs, interests, and purpose has given me clarity and strength to fulfill my potential as the person I was meant to become. Why do we struggle to be our authentic self? Why do we have to conform to what others think we should believe when it leads to our own self destruction? We seem to always seek to be a part of something bigger than ourselves to feel like we belong. Instead of trying to be a part of the crowd, what if we all stood out of the crowd to let our purpose positively impact our communities by living out our true, authentic self? The idea of “knowing thyself” has brought peace, security, and purpose to my life and I have made it my mission to help others find that same belief within them. Whether you are looking for understanding and clarity in business, your community, or in your own personal life, I want to help you look for the answers that are waiting to be revealed from within you. I am excited to help you and others on their journey for making it a goal to live out your life authentically, making a difference by the person you have been waiting to discover. Genuinely, Carl Humility has become a long-lost value in our world today. We have neglected the act of having humility and admitting our faults. What has happened to the state of our nation? Where has the act of opening up about our mistakes gone? Why has this occurred and what changes can we make to do about it? My intention is to help you uncover the act of having humility and connecting with those that you value the most.
When we think of humility we may think of failure, mistakes, or being vulnerable. All these feelings can initially be uncomfortable, and we tend to stray away from them as much as possible to hang on to our pride and sense of self-worth. We think that maintaining our reputation and holding a perfect image of ourselves will help gain trust and respect from those around us. However, practicing humility can have the exact opposite effects on us. When we practice humility, we gain the ability to connect with others by exposing our vulnerabilities for others to learn from our mistakes, failures, and short comings. We build trust and security in those we lead. Think of a time when you have seen someone exemplify humility? How did you connect with that person? Did you respect that person? In the past, I found it difficult to look at things through multiple perspectives. I believed that my way of thinking was the only way of thinking and after reflecting on it, it seemed that I had developed a perfect image of how the world should work. Overtime, I was rudely awakened by the fact that my way of thinking is not the only way. I was not always the one that had the right sense of mind in a particular discussion whether it be politics, religion, or how to lead others. I eventually grew closer to the idea of adopting an open mind and learning from multiple perspectives, taking a step back and truly analyzing the situation from all different viewpoints. I found that when I can look at ideas from different viewpoints, my learning exponentially increases and my ability to connect with others and build healthy relationships solidifies in trust and security. When was the last time you exemplified humility? How did it impact you? What made you own up to your mistake and take responsibility for your actions? It is hard to have security within ourselves when we are always comparing ourselves to others. In the words of Steven Furtick “The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind the scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.” Be your true self! Live a life of integrity and give life to others through having humility. Stay true, Carl |
Carl BowdenCarl currently resides in Wichita, KS where he coaches and consults businesses, community groups, and individuals with Exemplify. Archives
February 2024
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