Everybody has blind spots.

You have certain tendencies that you are not aware of but others can see. These are your blind spots, and they often cause big problems.

You can not want to accept that your life style is responsible for your high cholesterol and that you are courting a heart attack. You may not want to understand that your defensiveness cost you a promotion.

Over two hundred many years ago, Scottish poet Robert Burns (Kinsley, 1968) wrote:

"Oh wad some power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us!"

It might be a real challenge to try to see yourself as others see you. Sometimes you actually can do so, by watching yourself on videotape, or listening to an audiotape. Usually, though, this acquired skill is only available when others are willing to share it with you.

But, you may have a blind spot about being alerted to your blind spot!

If you do, you try to turn away any feedback that does not agree with your own self-assessments. You could be blocking the very understanding you need.

However, when you learn to accept any feedback as a gift, you might use it to fuel your own growth and development.

Sometimes someone desire to give you experience about something you say or do that annoys others. You might even be happy to change it if you only it existed. But you can not know unless you are open to their feedback.

Sometimes the acquired skill is extremely important to you, because something you are doing (or not doing) might keep you from career advancement or interfere with your important relationships.

Although you may not exactly welcome feedback that brings uncomfortable data to your attention, you might desperately absolutely need it.

When you accept new data about yourself, you might then take action and generate important changes -- changes that can contruct a tremendous difference to your success or even to your life.

Excerpted from lesson 11, "The Integrity Course."