Can You Keep Your Eye On the Ball? (and is That Enough?)
How Perceptive Do You Think You Are?
As high-achievers we often have our eye on the goal but are we missing lots of valuable information on the path to success? Do you have the right support network around you to help you stay focused?
Let’s test it out. Have you ever seen the video clip of the basketball players and the gorilla?
The video asks you to count how many passes the team in white shirt does. The answer is 15 and bonus points if you saw the Gorilla walk across the screen (only 50% of first-time viewers see the gorilla since they were so focused on watching the passing). So if you saw both—you probably think you are pretty perceptive—but now answer how many passes the team in black shirt did? What was the letter on the back of the wall? Were their doors or windows in the background? Were the players wearing shoes? How many of the players were male vs female? The questions are endless.
We Can’t See It All
We would have to watch and re-watch the clip to even begin to answer these questions. Why? Because our minds simply cannot process the 400 billion pieces of information that are thrown at if EVERY second. Yes, that billion with “B” In fact our brains can only process .0000000005% of that information. That’s 2,000 pieces of information per second. Whoa, that’s still a lot—but think of how much we are missing that is literally right before our eyes? Note that the discrepancy between the amount of information being transmitted and the amount of information being processed is so large that any inaccuracy in the measurements is insignificant.
We All Need Support
The point is we can’t see it all and certainly can’t process and act on it all. That’s why a support team is invaluable. Make sure you have the right professionals around you to help you see your blind spots and bring different perspectives to the table. Who is your accountant? Who is your mentor? Who is your lawyer? Who is your business coach?
Are you blissfully unaware or naively ignoring everything else that is going on around you?
What are you going to focus on this week? And who are you going to seek guidance from to get perspective on everything else that is going on right in front of you? I’d love to hear about it. Send me an email through our site Contact form.