The past few sabbatical months I’ve been trying to take a long, hard look at myself to see areas that God might want to change in me. There were some painful realizations I came to (and repentance that followed) as a result.
Most specifically, I wanted to wrestle with some blindspots in my life – those areas that I can’t see on my own that I need others to bring to my attention.
Grrr… these are hard to hear from people close to me, but so helpful.
Anyhow, as I was reflecting one day on some of my blindspots (following Catalyst One Day), I remembered reading in Kem Meyer’s fantastic book Less Clutter. Less Noise. a list of misconceptions we might have about how others view us. She doesn’t call them blindspots, but it was a revealing list for me about some of my own misconceptions.
Meyer actually references a book by Dr. Mark Goulston called Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior to list misconceptions of how others view you, compared to how you might view yourself.
Please feel free to read the list below.
I was rather challenged (I’m pretty sure I can be seen as arrogant, impulsive, and hyper, and pretty much everything else on this list at one point or another).
Misconceptions of How Others View You:
|
Believing you are: |
When perceived by others as: |
| Shrewd | Sly |
| Confident | Arrogant |
| Humorous | Inappropriate |
| Energetic | Hyper |
| Having strong opinions | Opinionated |
| Passionate | Impulsive |
| Strong | Rigid |
| Detail-oriented | Nit-picking |
| Quiet | Passive or Indecisive |
What do you think?
I have not read the books referenced, and I would like to do so. That said, the table as is without context leaves me questioning. A strength is often reframed in the terms of the perception column by persons who hold power and intend on keeping it. When looking for blindspots, it is imperative to go to those who love you and those on the same Christ-mission. Proverbs reminds us that fear of man is a snare.
great point, gina!
I get this…the need to have people around you that you can trust to tell you the truth about what you do or how you come across. The people that love me seriously are the ones that can check my blindspots and tell me about them because they are investing in making me better….or more honest, and they are not trying to just pick at me.
I like it…cause in my mind I am fabulous…and really the truth is I can come across a whole lot less fabulous than I intended…lol. Thanks Drew for the inflection time.
for sure… thanks for the comment!