Happy New Year everyone.
We are back. Up and Grateful!
As we go through year 2026, it is a good moment to pause, reflect, and recalibrate not just our goals, but how we see.
In medical school, we learnt that every human eye has a blind spot. It sits on the retina where the optic nerve enters, an area completely insensitive to light and colour. No matter how sharp our vision is, there is always something we cannot see.
Life works the same way.
Focus is a good thing. It helps us build, achieve, and remain disciplined. But focus, when left unchecked, can quietly create blind spots. The more intensely we concentrate on one thing, the easier it becomes to miss other important details unfolding around us.
The most dangerous thing about blind spots is that we are usually unaware of them. That is precisely why they are blind spots.
“ The way of a person seems right in their own eyes, but wisdom listens to advice.” Proverbs 12:15
Because blind spots are invisible to us, we must intentionally zoom out from time to time and ask uncomfortable but necessary questions. What might I be missing here? What assumptions am I making? Is this approach sustainable in the long run?
Without deliberate reflection, even good intentions can lead to exhaustion, inefficiency, or unintended consequences.
A striking example of this appears in Exodus 18. Moses was faithfully judging the people of Israel from morning until evening. He was doing what he believed was right and what he thought God required. Yet an outsider, his father in law Jethro, saw something Moses could not.
“ What you are doing is not good. You will only wear yourself out. The work is too heavy for you.”
Exodus 18:17–18
Thank God Moses listened and began to delegate tasks. By sharing responsibility, Moses preserved his strength, empowered others, and created a system that could endure.
Blind spots are often revealed through others. Mentors, peers, and trusted voices help us see what proximity and intensity prevent us from noticing.
“ Plans succeed with counsel.”
Proverbs 20:18
As we begin this year, the goal is not just to work harder or focus more intensely. It is to see more clearly. Sometimes that clarity comes from stepping back. Sometimes it comes from inviting honest feedback. And sometimes it comes from admitting that we do not see everything.
The best leaders, builders, and thinkers are not those without blind spots, but those humble enough to keep checking their vision.
Here’s a simple question to carry into the year ahead:
What might I be missing right now? Drop your comments below.
Happy New Year, and may this year bring not only progress, but perspective.
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1 thought on “Blind Spots”
Focus and blind spots…
What is priority at certain times may need to be minority at other moments.
Blind spots are revealed by others, so I must be open to correction