Stop. Pause. Observe.

I am reminded of a story that was sent to Dear Abby.

Dear Abby, a young man from a wealthy family was about to graduate from high school. It was the custom in that “affluent neighborhood” for the parents to give the graduate an automobile. "Bill" and his father had spent months looking at cars, and the week before graduation, they found the perfect car. On the eve of his graduation, his father handed him his gift. He reluctantly opened the present, which contained a Bible that had his name on it. "Bill" was so angry, that he threw the Bible down and stormed out of the house. He and his father never saw each other again. It was the news of his father's death that brought "Bill” home. Regardless of what had happened, the father left him his entire estate, everything he possessed. As he sat going through his father's possessions, he came across the Bible his father had given him. He brushed away the dust and opened the package and there was the bible his father had given him. He opened the bible and was shocked to find a cashier's check, it was dated the day of his graduation in the exact amount of the car they had chosen together.

Wow, I can't even begin to imagine how "Bill" was feeling at that precise moment.

If only, right?! If only "Bill" had just taken a moment to stop, pause, and observe objectively the situation before concluding his father's motivations at the time the package was given to him on graduation, things would have been very different.

It is the same with all of us.

We can all have a certain expectation, and excited anticipation, and when it comes in a different package, we throw the baby out with the bath water.

Learning to stop, pause, and observe objectively allows us to consider other people and past experiences before passing judgment and potentially jeopardizing our relationships.

When what we believe to be true gets in the way of building deeper, more meaningful relationships, we need to clear the path and carefully consider our next step.

Keep looking for the blind spots and building a better you.

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Blind Spots in Relationships

What I don't know I don't know about myself

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