Looking for Your Glasses

MC Escher

Monday, July 8th 2024

It's Monday, and I've set myself a challenge to see if I can create a developmental habit - to write every Monday. Even though I enjoy writing and often have something to say, I'm not someone who easily makes a habit of habit! So we'll see.

This Monday morning though, I came across a phase that reminded me of the real challenge of human development.

"Looking for your glasses while you're wearing them!"

Have you ever experienced that moment of panic when you're frantically looking for your glasses, only to realise, you're wearing them? That's exactly the challenge for self development. Trying to develop ourselves from within the mindsets (the glasses) through which we see ourselves. And the world around us. We can fail to recognise those strengths and opportunities that would be of the most advantage to our own development.

There's a tendency to equate development only with learning new things. And, while acquiring knowledge and skills is undoubtedly valuable, it's only one piece of the human development opportunity. We develop as humans and as practitioners when we develop our capacity to step back and take a good look at ourselves, from outside our own familiar, habitual perspectives. Stepping back to notice the patterns of our working and living, and all the hidden assumptions and blindspots that shape not only our present experience but also our future experiences.

Beyond the knowledge and skills required for our professional career, development focused practitioners make the time to consider their own character of their practice. For some, its also important to think about the person you want to be in your work. What virtues might you want to develop - wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, transcendence. How our work can act as some sort of 'pilgrimage of identity', as David Whyte discusses in his beautiful book Crossing the Unknown Sea. And how those qualities and skills we seek are often already within us, just waiting to be recognized and honed.

This kind of development isn't easy. It can hurt to rub up against our own self protecting egos. And it requires perseverance to embark on an ongoing journey of continuous learning, introspection, and growth. But it pays off by unlocking our true potential and helping to lead a more fulfilling life.