Self-induced Blindspots

One time during a record snowfall winter, we ended up with a weekend alone. Our teenage daughter had been picked up by friends for the weekend. We decided to head downtown for a nice dinner. We took my car. As I was backing up our steep long drive, looking over my shoulder, the car jolted to a sudden halt with a loud crashing sound. It took me a second before I realized I had backed into my daughter's car that was parked a bit to the side. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I had to make "the call" to my daughter. The tables had turned, it was time for mom to confess to daughter 😬. (On a positive note, we still enjoyed an amazing dinner out.)

So many of our actions are automated but they're also strongly influenced by expectations. In my subconscious mind, my daughter wasn't home so her car shouldn't be. The fact it was white and the snow berm was taller than her car at the time didn't help. I didn't expect to see anything in the drive when I looked back, and my brain allowed me to miss it.

There are known parallels in clinical medicine, however, I want to highlight how it impacts our thoughts about ourselves and our subsequent actions. What do you think happens when you allow a subconscious thought about your worth, ability, or even what others are thinking of you to go unchallenged?  Likely you miss the opposite and only find evidence of the automatic belief. By shining the spotlight on our subconscious, well-worn neuropathways, we allow for awareness and choice to view it more fully and accurately. It is handy to reflect and look for any assumptions, then challenge them. What are the underlying ideas you have of yourself or others in a particular situation?

Now, before I look over my shoulder, I tune into the fact I'm not expecting anything in the driveway. And that's where we can give ourselves conscious intention. Doing this makes me much less (w)reckless. 😉