The problem with "Tunnel Vision" is that it often brings negative affects when not used properly or in a balanced way.  

Negative Affects of Tunnel Vision
  • Irritation with anyone or anything that disrupts your focus
  • Rigid or unwilling to accept suggestions to change your action plan
  • Refusing offers for assistance, even to make your load lighter
  • Reluctance to take breaks
  • Not understanding what is happening around you
  • Things others are saying are not making sense
  • Screening out peripheral sights and sounds
On the other hand, tunnel vision can be a very positive tool.  First Responders, for example, need to have their full attention on their task at hand.  It could be very detrimental for them to allow distractions to interrupt their focus. 

Have you ever seen a horse with "blinders" on?  Horses can be easily distracted.  The blinders help them stay focused on what is ahead .... the furrow being plowed, the road the wagon is being pulled on, etc.  In order for your vision .... what is ahead ....  to come to fruition, in may be necessary to put "blinders" on so as not to be pulled in all the different directions the world is offering.  Just like the horses, however, the key is not keeping those blinders on constantly. 

4 Ways Tunnel Vision Can Positively Affect Your Vision
  • Prepare nightly for the next day
    • make a list of things that can be realistically accomplished
    • decide when during the day you would like to get these done (what works for me personally is to plan what I want to accomplish for that day and let it roll....time restraints stress me out.  I created a special planner with this in mind.  You can get it here.)
    • writing it down will release anxiety and help you sleep better
  • Set a strategic morning routine
    • do things to get your mind ready for the tasks of the day
      • brain food: prayer, affirmations, gratitudes, teas/beverages, nourishing foods
      • use your morning energy on your tasks at hand > you can exercise later
  • Eliminate any negative environments
    • evaluate your "circle"
      • is everyone in your boat rowing
      • who is drilling holes when you are not looking
      • it is said you are the sum of those in your circle 
        • as you grow in years your visions will change.  Not everyone in your "circle" will grow and change with you. To reach your visions, your circle may need some adjustments.
  • Limit time on social media
    • time waster
    • leads you down one rabbit-hole to another
Ultimately, for your vision to be truly successful and balanced, the other important areas of your life must not be viewed as distractions .... as your "peripheral" areas of your life.  Rather, they can be included as part of those daily tasks you plan for every night.  Your vision is not reached overnight.  It is a step-by-step project. 

When he was younger, actor Will Smith and his younger brother were given the task of building a brick wall 16 feet high and 30 feet long by their father.  And, they were to do it by hand.  Every day they did a little bit.  Many times wondering what the point of it was.  However, after 18 months, it was finally completed.  What did Will learn from it?

"You don’t set out to build a wall. You don’t say ‘I’m going to build the biggest, baddest, greatest wall that’s ever been built.’ You don’t start there. You say, ‘I’m going to lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid. You do that every single day. And soon you have a wall."

You do not have perfect "vision".  Adjustments will need to be made along the way.  Maintaining a "balanced, positive tunnel vision" is the key to keeping a balanced focus on your vision. 

learn more from Jasmine L. Thomas, M. Ed. here
learn more from Will Smith here




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