Are You Living in (Virtual) Reality?
by Kathy Seaton
When I was about 7 years old, I swear that R2D2 came whizzing right out of my closet door. I’m also sure that I saw Santa Claus led by 9 tiny reindeer on Christmas Eve. And I’m convinced that Michael Jackson wrote the “Thriller” album just for me. My sight and my beliefs were my truth right? Well at least I thought so. Impeccably random thoughts that shaped my young, impressionable, and very imaginative mind.
What is our real truth and how can we find it? In this age, we’re starting to believe everything we read, what we’re told by governments, peers, and superiors, and what’s portrayed on TV. And that can lead to a very sad and uninformed state of affairs.
Let’s take the example of Isaac Lidsky, author, entrepreneur, and blind. Lidskey suffered from a life changing disease at the young age of 12 and it took his eyesight. And from that point on, his reality became distorted, disruptive, and then finally real.
How did he go from a place of total despair, uselessness, and fear, only to arrive at a position of total illumination and a complete understanding of the world around him?
“Reality isn’t something you perceive, its something you create in your mind,” Isaac Lidsky.
We’ve all created some type of reality for ourselves. So it begs the question, what kind of reality are we creating at work? I think that many of us find that our view of our workplace isn’t really accurate. We’re self destructive, we make false assumptions, we’re biased, and our judgment calls are created out of fear and indecision. We create fundamental contradictions, and because we created it, we believe it. And a lot of this is done out of fear.
I write a lot about fear, because the paralyzing effects caused by fear are exactly what keep us from being creative, strategic, and ultimately successful.
I’m not going to go on and on here—because if you’re a consistent reader, you know how I feel about fear and its impact our abilities.
Rather, what I’m going to suggest is that we take some of the input from the incredible, blind leader, Lidskey to help us reshape our thinking. These are simple:
Live your life with eyes wide open. Don’t close yourself off; be authentic and wise to your environment. Don’t create situations at work that are negative and that aren’t really happening.
Reality is a learned behavior. And so is allowing yourself to live an altered reality. Rather than living out your own awful death sentence, focus on taking action. Action that results in you being aware of your thoughts, ability to make decisions, and willingness to accept your achievements.
Hold yourself accountable. Accept your strengths and weaknesses. Empower yourself and take complete responsibility, at every step of the way.
Helen Keller said, “the only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”
Right now, ask yourself, are you living a virtual reality?