Looking at Life Through a Dyslexic Eyes

In a café, I chance upon to browse a book “Good to Great” by James C. Collins.  The book’s objective was to help individuals level up their performance in either their work-places or family – a holistic approach to live a life of excellence from mediocrity.

In one of the topics, it mentioned about the Hedgehog Principle. It talked about the contrast between the hedgehog and the fox wherein, the fox though it is clever and knows too much, it just could not be as effective as that of a hedgehog who only knows one thing – to curl and set a defense using their hairs once chased by the fox.

Have you ever wondered how great people lived a life of success and had a significant impact in the society?  Was it by choice or by chance?  It is because, they choose to understand themselves and found the “hedgehog” characteristics in their lives:

1.) What they are Good at – what they are capable to do.
2.) What their Purpose is– the “Why” in what they do and
3.) What their Economic Engine is – what drives and motivates them.

I pondered on this thought and as I parked this aside, the Sunday’s message has sealed it.   It has been an uplifting and an eye-opener when our Pastor talked about the Hindu movie entitled “Everyone is Special.”  The movie focused on a child who for some time was wrongfully thought of as insolent, stupid and a menace to their family because unknown to them, he is dyslexic.  And no one, not even his family cared to understand what was troubling him.  This added to his ordeal of not just figuring out the letters to make a simple word but of figuring how to make it through his life, given the circumstances.

As I listened, it dawned on me that at some point of my life, I have been in a way, dyslexic and somehow, a fox. Not that I can not see or read letters correctly, but it is more of the inability to understand, comprehend and act on Life’s direction and Purpose.  I make it difficult to zoom in the lenses as that of a manually configured camera- which if not correctly done, is unable to create a beautiful image it ought to make.

With these lessons, I understood that when one’s life is seen through a dyslexic eye we need to accept that there is something wrong and take a time off to re-assess and re-adjust our focal points like a Hedgehog.  Being aware of our capacities, motivation and our purpose would allow us then, to be able to major in our Life’s major- to live a life of excellence and not of mediocrity.

This poses a challenge for me and might as well for you.  As this task is overwhelmingly challenging, I asked, where do we start?  I remembered what St. Francis of Assisi was quoted, saying “Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible and then you will be doing the impossible.”  We can’t be too hard on ourselves; after all, we are a work in progress.

And I would like to remember that nothing changes when we cease not to look at Life, with a dyslexic eye.