I watched an interesting TED talk by Apollo Robbins on the Art of Misdirection. TED Talk - Apollo Robbins
This man is hailed as the world's best pickpocket and what more he actually demonstrates this art on the TED stage! As I watched his video, I realised that he was creating perceptions which were very real to my mind. I (along with the audience) was convinced that I 'knew' what he was doing.... till it turned out wrong when he shared how he was mis-directing us intentionally.
This reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend who was convinced about something whereas I wasn't. But she was firm in her perceptions, as was I. Obviously both of us had contexts that we had experienced without the other so we were quite firm with our perceptions and thus our perspectives!
The misdirection video brought back to light how perceptions can become reality for us. Till the master guy/performer doesn't open his or her cards, these perceptions are there to stay. What more, our actions are based on them. These perceptions and realities can make us unhappy or happy. After having done my 100 days of happiness I have come to the conclusion that I would prefer to keep my perceptions if they give me happiness. This doesn't mean that I'd like to stay in oblivion, however it does mean that I will not dig too deep for the truth if my sense of reality is a happy state. For example, if I have the perception that my daughter's friends find me cool, I am not going to dig too hard and ask them how they find me cool, why they find me cool, etc.! On a more serious note, if I perceive that the staff does not share ideas with me, I would be unhappy and definitely dig deeper into the reasons as well as my perceptions.
So how do we know? I guess one of the best ways is to remain open-minded to the fact that your perceptions (and thus the actions/perspectives) can be wrong. Listen to the other people (you trust). Find for yourself. Talk to the related stakeholders. Communicate your sense of reality. Watch, listen (around and to yourself), think and communicate.
Secondly, learn to be attentive and seek data. I am getting more and more convinced about mapping the data.........accurately! An interesting thing happened with my new found love for data.
So in the last few weeks, I felt that my helper was getting in what we euphemistically term "Contract coming to an end mode". She wasn't waking up in the mornings on time. My tea was always late and then I was late and then we both had a grumpy morning. We tried putting an alarm bell for her, which didn't work due to the acoustics. One week was particularly bad when she just didn't wake up to the 3 alarms she set up in the mornings almost daily! Micky complained the same and he is generally the quiet kinds so I felt that it was action time. After a grave discussion without any conclusion, I decided to map and actually note the days she couldn't wake up. The results were interesting. Mondays were particularly bad (The Sunday off is tiring with her Volleyball commitments). For the rest of the week, she managed to wake up on three days on an average for three weeks. I shared this with her which did wonders! It also helped me come back to senses that she doesn't always do it! (which was my firm perception for a while). It helped me realise why the Mondays were as they were.
Data is useful. However, to seek that data you need to ensure that you are attentive. The Art of Misdirection video certainly brought home the importance of attentiveness. The Project Zero Making Thinking Visible routine Looking 10 x 2 is a useful tool to hone attentiveness and the power of observation in learners. Art of Thinking -Project Zero
The more you hone the power of observation, the more you are attuned to the power of data, the closer your perceptions are to reality!
(Wow!This is a deep reflection today! Either this is completely relevant or the fever is playing games with my thoughts and words! If you read this and reach the end, please let me know your comments! :) Thanks.)
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