[Photo Credit]

Right around this time last year my car was stolen (for the second time in two months) and frankly I wasn’t too sad to see it go.  Don’t get me wrong . . . I was grateful to have reasonably reliable transportation, but I just didn’t like the thing!  I nicknamed it “The Beast” because it seemed to live up to that name in every way:

• The paint job reminded me of this really old pair of black shorts I have . . . they’ve been washed so many times that “black” doesn’t really describe the color any more
• It would burn oil just as fast as gas
• Someone broke the antenna off, so the radio was useless
• It took the term blind spot to a whole new level
• It was so low to the ground that the bottom scraped on potholes
• The driver’s side window would often get stuck . . . really stuck.  I’d have to slam the door (sometimes while driving) or hit it with the side of my fist from inside the car, in just the right spot, to get the thing to come back to life
• Someone shot a hole in it one New Year’s Eve, because . . . well it was New Year’s Eve
• And to top all that off, it’s apparently one of the easiest cars to steal!!!

So after it was stolen this time, my insurance company decided that this “investment” wasn’t working out so well for them and cut me a check.

I proceeded to purchase a Volkswagen and before I knew it, I was seeing the suckers everywhere!  It was crazy, no matter where I went or where I looked, those two consonants were staring right back at me.

So again I ask, what was really happening here?  Why was I suddenly aware of all the VWs on the road?

Sight vs Vision

To make sense of this phenomenon let’s contrast sight & vision and see where it leads us.

Sight, as I understand it, is the simple act of observation . . . i.e. having a visual reaction to what exists around you.    But the sheer act of observing doesn’t guarantee that you’ll actually see everything that’s right in front of you.  For some reason I couldn’t really see Volkswagens before I bought one, even though my eyes were wide open every time I pulled The Beast out of the driveway.  Once my awareness was raised (in this case, forcibly), seeing them became effortless.  The great thing is that we can systematically choose to raise our awareness as opposed to having it randomly forced upon us.

I was recently introduced to a design concept called negative space.  I’ve always had an intuitive sense of this concept, but didn’t fully appreciate it or know what it was called.  Then I read a book discussing the importance of the right side of the brain in the modern economy (“A Whole New Mind”, by Daniel Pink).  Great read by the way.  If you’re not familiar with negative space, here’s a visual aid.  Take a look at the following image:

Obviously we’re looking at the FedEx logo.  Have you ever noticed the “arrow” in their logo?  Hold your mouse over the logo shown below to see it:

If you’re just noticing this for the first time, don’t feel bad.  Someone pointed this out to me years ago and I remember saying, “How did I miss seeing that one?!”  FedEx purposely incorporated this negative space into their logo because it contributes visually to the idea that they’ll quickly get your package to any destination.

It’s amazing what you can see once you’ve become aware that it’s right in front of you.

Let’s move on to Vision. At first glance, it would seem exactly the same as Sight. Medically, I have 20/20 “vision” which means I can “see” very clearly.  The Volkswagens would say: “not so much”.

If we think about Vision in broader terms, Vision is more like a synonym for imagination. It’s a way of previewing what is not yet visible . . . what you might plan for yourself.  This distinction is key because we sometimes let what our awareness regularly sees, shape what we think our life is and will be.

In situations like this, real visioning . . . real imagination, is replaced by persistent thoughts about what is and what was.  This greatly limits our ability to imagine & experience something different & new.

When we hold on to and focus only on what we can currently see, we reinforce that reality in our lives and emotionally plan for its continued existence.

Use your awareness to enhance your ability to see what’s already here.  Then give yourself the time and permission to envision that which you would love to bring into existence.  Stay true to that and you’ll see…

At 91 years of age, J. C. Penney (the founder of the JC Penney department stores) was asked about his health. He replied:

“My eye sight is failing but my vision has never been better.”

- J.C. Penney

Related posts:

1. The Art of Listening Do you think you're a good listener? Come on, keep...
2. Emotional Intelligence: Control vs Understanding In today's society there are far too many examples of...
3. Life is Dynamic! Have you ever felt like your life was moving along...