Yesterday I’m in the produce section looking for cucumbers. I’m scanning for cucumbers when I realize something interesting. I’m not seeing anything else. All I can see is what is a cucumber and what is not a cucumber. This got me thinking about tunnel vision and how we subconsciously limit our options without even realizing it.
Tunnel vision can be beneficial when it comes to reaching a goal or meeting a deadline and being focused is crucial. However, if you’re searching for love or a new career or a new place to live, tunnel vision is simply limiting you and the possibilities.
When Mark & I were looking for our first home to buy, we were only looking at houses within the small town we lived in. After three contracts fell thru, we were feeling lost until Mark suggested, “where else could we live?” and just like that our circle grew beyond the city limits. About a week later we found a house an hour and a half away that didn’t have everything on our wish list yet was perfect for us in so many other ways. Had we never opened our minds to look beyond the city limits, we would have missed out on a home that has played a pivotal role in our success over the last 7 years.
Our minds tend to stick to what we know. But the second we become curious about what else is out there, is when we shatter those barriers and open up our minds to a myriad of other options we never would have thought of before.
YOU ARE ONLY CONFINED BY THE WALLS YOU BUILD FOR YOURSELF.
Why do I have to live in a traditional house, those tiny houses look interesting? Why am I working a 9-5 office job when I prefer to be outside 24/7? Why do I have to go to college when I don’t have enough money and I don’t want to go in to debt?
Curious thinking leads to creative thinking and creative thinking destroys tunnel vision. There are so many different ways to live life, to make money, to find happiness. We just have to get creative and be open to something different.
