Insight from Others
No matter how much we work at developing our awareness, we will always have blind spots that are just so ingrained in us that we can’t see them without help. If we are serious about developing intimacy with the world the way it actually is, not as we wish it to be or fear it to be, we can welcome and solicit input from outside of ourselves. Some forms this can take:
- Make a pact with friends or acquaintances to help each other see blind spots. Choose people that will tell you in a way that can hear it (whether that is gently or straightforwardly or some other way) what they see as your strengths, and also areas that might warrant a closer look. Practice saying ‘thank you’ whether you agree or not.
- Notice the kind of feedback you get in general. If you hear something about yourself more than once, chances are that there is a germ of truth in it.
- Notice when you feel defensive, hurt, or emotionally affected by something. There is almost always more to see about our internal worlds when we have those kinds of reactions.
- Some spiritual or meditation or religious groups have teachers that a given person might resonate with; you might consider working one-on-one with a teacher to develop your awareness with some guidance.
