Blindfolded

Recently, during a Coaching session, I shared with my coachee (client) the importance of distinctions.

And you might first ask, what is a distinction?

It is one of the first key concepts learned in the field of Coaching, referring to an individual's ability to differentiate nuances that make some words and thus ideas different from others.

These distinctions allow us to broaden the meaning of things, of what happens, thereby increasing vision and also possibilities.

According to Miriam Ortiz de Zárate, distinctions help us observe things with a different perspective and reflect on our way of acting. When we distinguish something new, we acquire learning that broadens our view, accessing a greater and better understanding of what surrounds us.

And speaking about distinctions in relation to their Coaching goal, the difference between prudence and naivety arose.

From my point of view, naivety is like wearing a blindfold that prevents you from seeing everything that happens. You trust everything 100%. Logically, this leads you to have a partial view of reality. Even, in some cases, not to see anything. Somehow, you don't want to see what happens around you. It's a way of protecting yourself. Even in some cases, what you see, you reject. This attitude can lead you to wrong decisions. In these cases, it seems that you live peacefully in your naivety, but in the medium to long term, it generates unnecessary suffering for "not having realized it sooner," for having worn the blindfold. In the long term, this attitude doesn't help you and can have very negative consequences for you.

On the other hand, we can look at the world from prudence or caution. You trust the other, but at the same time, you remain attentive. You don't leap into the void from the start; instead, you move in trust combined with seeking data to confirm your initial assessment. You investigate, without prior judgments. You seek objective data, not unverified interpretations. Your purpose is to make decisions validated by objectivity. You remain with your eyes open, attentive to everything. Anything is possible, anything can happen. Although your initial attitude is one of openness and trust.

On the other side, we find distrust. From my point of view, the least healthy of the possible alternatives. In this case, you don't trust. You don't believe in anything or anyone. It also arises from protection and previous experiences perceived as negative and limiting. From this position, others lie, are evil beings, and do "harm intentionally." You live with your eyes closed, which leads you to see nothing. Everything is black, negative, dark. This attitude closes you off to new possibilities and prevents you from knowing and enjoying others and other options.

How easy it is to see it now on paper, isn't it?

Analyze and think about which side you