08/08/2025
In high school I took an elective psychology course. One day we did an exercise with a photograph. We were given 60 seconds to try and memorize everything in the photo that was red.
When the minute was up and the photos were collected, we were asked to list everything in the photo that was yellow.
*crickets*
Nearly every one of us swore with complete conviction there was nothing yellow, even though we knew it was a very colorful photograph.
We also couldnโt name anything that was blue, green, orange, or purple.
In looking again we saw that it was a beautiful scene of a man fishing in a boat. There were dark clouds in the background, a faint rainbow, and sunshine that sparkled off the water. It was full of emotion, movement, and color. It was beautiful.
While the exercise was meant to demonstrate the selective nature of our minds, I found deeper meaning in it.
I realized that we do this every day, 100 times a day.
When we donโt like someone or something, we only see the parts of them that confirm what our minds have decided about them.
We become so hyper-focused on what we want to see, that we canโt see the beauty of the complete picture.
And we do this to ourselves, as well.
๐ซ The path of coming back to yourself is much the same. In an effort to become the best version of ourselves, we often turn a blind eye to the โuglyโ parts.
We only want to focus on the light and on the good. We pack away the parts of ourselves that make us feel ashamed, embarrassed, and guilty, not realizing that those parts help give movement, emotion, and beauty to our own unique portrait.
Without the contrast of shadows, the light and colors look dull and faded.
I challenge you to โpan outโ today. Stop focusing only on your good or bad parts and start appreciating the whole picture. See yourself in entirety.
And if you want extra credit, start looking at others the same way.
๐ Dawn