Reality via Reflection

We can only make sense of things in context. The entire second section of our Coach’s Prep 101 program addresses this exact phenomenon. A classic example I give is in reference to body height. If I found myself, at six foot three inches tall, subbing in to a NBA basketball game the color commentator might say something like, “..Gelbrich into the game at guard. As a little guy, he’s really going to have to work hard against a potent Lakers’ offense.”

In that context, I’m not just little, I’m tiny. Most everyday contexts, however, I’d likely get the opposite description when it comes to size.

This brings us to the important power of reflection. After all, it’s often not until we look back that we can understand a situation for what it is. Of course, this is because it’s in reflection we can see things with better context. Getting your first tooth pulled seems like living hell while it’s happening, whereas looking back in reflection it can be remembered as a fond rite of passage into childhood, albeit an adorable one at that.

When you’re in it, so to speak, remember that you can’t yet see things with important contextual framework. Be patient. Let reflection tell the story.

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach