THE SCOURGE OF THE OBVIOUS – RIGHT IN FRONT OF US
“Normally, we do not so much look at things as overlook them.” – Alan Watts, American philosopher (1915-1973)
Many years ago, when I used to travel a lot, conducting training programs around the state, I distinctly remember one of my trips because of the lesson we learned one evening at our hotel.
It was our first day in town, and we had just gone out for a bite to eat. When we returned, we decided to park near a side entrance to the hotel since our rooms were far from the lobby entrance.
When we got to the door, we saw a sign that said, “Use room key to open door.”
Way back then magnetic room keys were fairly new. I knew how to use them to open my room because the lock box is right there on the door. But I didn’t see any lock box on or next to the entrance where I could insert my key.
I turned to my partner and said, “Do you see where I’m supposed to put my key?”
“No, I don’t see a thing” he pined. We were both exhausted from the trip and session.
We considered ourselves as being pretty resourceful and quick to come up with workable solutions.
But this had us stumped.
There appeared to be nowhere that I could insert or slide my key to get the door to open.
I even resorted to sliding the card along the area where I could see the lock. But honestly, I felt pretty foolish doing that because I was certain that wouldn’t work.
And it didn’t.
We were ready to give up and walk around to the lobby when another hotel guest approached the door from inside the building and came out. She held the door open for us.
I thanked her, showed her my key so she’d know we were legitimate guests, and told her why we were standing there.
She said, “Oh, the place to insert your key is right here.”
She stepped about two feet away from the door and pointed to one of the same kind of card readers in the room doors, mounted on a pedestal. It was not right next to the door. But you only had to step back a few steps to see it. Dah!
Neither of us had thought to do this. Instead, we had looked at each other befuddled and had not been able to see the solution, a few feet away. We felt silly and then laughed about it for a long time afterwards.
Even though you may not have encountered a situation exactly like this, I bet you’ve faced something similar.
Sometimes we get so close to a problem that we aren’t able to see any viable solution. And often it’s right in front of us. It seems that occasionally our emotions or other filters get in the way of seeing what’s right there.
So, the Next time you find yourself struggling with an issue, take a step back – literally or figuratively. Ask yourself what you might be overlooking.
Don’t hesitate to ask for help from someone who’s less emotionally involved. That person may have a very a different perspective and a less filtered awareness to provide the insight to a solution, or at least point out other options.
Contact Spectrum Coaching for a confidential, truly unbiased and objective point of view. We will ask questions that you are not asking that, when answered, will provide fresh perspectives.
