“Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see life with a clearer view again.”
~Alex Tan

It is an intense time, and, as we keep reminding clients (and writing in our blog), emotions are more likely at the surface and spilling out for many – if not all – of us.

That’s not all bad.

Perhaps we do need to wash our eyes. Perhaps we do need to see more clearly. Perhaps our emotions surging will compel us, as leaders, to recognize our humanity. To allow for emotions in ourselves and others.

And perhaps “washing our eyes” and seeing more clearly will help us acknowledge what we’ve taken for granted about our lives and our work and the people around us. While working from home is a gift in many ways – no commute, no dressing up, lunch from our own fridge – it is also a new challenge. We’re not used to life without the separation of work and home; we don’t know how to finish the report and homeschool our kids or walk the dog; and we actually miss the people we were used to seeing every day and the banter “around the water cooler.” Zoom happy-hours are only so good.

I was recently remembering my book tour (for my memoir, to the moon and back). It felt so foreign thinking about airports and travel and speaking in front of large groups. It feels so foreign thinking about meeting clients face-to-face and facilitating a group session.

Oh, the things – the life – we took for granted. Perhaps our emotions will help us see all these things more clearly. Perhaps our emotions surging will help us appreciate these things more.

Perhaps our eyes being “washed by our tears” will help us see the world around (and within) us in a new way. We are all hindered by confirmation bias – our tendency to search for, see, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that agrees with, or confirms, what we already believe to be true. Perhaps if our eyes are washed, we will see things differently. Perhaps we will allow people to act differently than we expect them to act. Perhaps we will open our minds, our hearts, and our opinions to new ways of seeing, thinking, working, and being.

How have your eyes been washed? What do you now see differently?
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If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.

For support in seeing things in a new, clearer way, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.

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