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Ever had one of those “kick yourself” moments?
You know the ones I mean … They’re those situations where you had an inkling something was likely to turn out a specific way but failed to take action.
You felt it in your bones, you knew it with intuition, yet let things slide in the false belief “everything would work out”.
If so, it could be a case of “wilful blindness” and it might be having a negative impact on not just your real estate career, but more broadly.
So what exactly is wilful blindness and how can you ensure you don’t fall into the trap of closing your eyes to the obvious and letting opportunity slide.
The blind leading the blind
History is littered with instances of wilful blindness. As humans we’re pretty good at turning a blind eye to things that in retrospect seem obvious.
In fact, wars, stock market crashes and many a corporate or government downfall have all come down to the reality that people have a habit of consciously ignoring what’s going on right in front of them.
They knew it, yet failed to take action. The term is so common, it’s even used in law to indicate a defendant made a conscious decision to avoid confirmation of a fact or avoid information.
But in general instances, the technical description is the following:
“Wilful blindness is the conscious decision to ignore information or facts that are available, and choosing not to inquire further, even when they are important or necessary to make informed decisions.”
And when wilful blindness gets the better of us, that avoidance often comes back to bite us on the backside.
I knew it!
When you have that gut feeling, or know something but fail to act on that insight, it often results in feelings of guilt or disappointment.
“I knew it!” or “I should have done something sooner” are the kick-yourself sentiments that tend to follow.
But how do you avoid this from happening?
Heed the warning
When you get that sneaking suspicion something’s going to take a particular path, trust your gut, trust your intuition!
Listen to your sixth sense and assess the information that’s in front of you.
Journal the situation. Get it out of your head and onto paper. Speak with a friend or colleague about them. Bring it to the surface.
Take some sort of action. That might involve investigating further, double checking everything is as it should be, making contingency plans, or proactively seeking a different solution or direction.
However you choose to go about it, get into the habit of acting on that gut feeling immediately.
To be clear, I’m not talking about tilting at windmills, being overly paranoid, or second guessing every little thing.
Instead, I’m strongly suggesting it’s about taking a moment to listen to that niggle you feel. Step back, look at the situation from a different angle, then take the required action.
Yes we’ve all had those “if only” moments of regret where something hasn’t panned out as it should, and the warning signs are right there in front of us.
But what can you learn? The reality is acting on intuition or inner knowledge is a habit you can hone, and it’s one that has the potential to prove invaluable over the course of life and your career.
Don’t let wilful blindness stand in the way of opportunity because you will kick yourself if you do.
Manos Findikakis is the CEO of Agents’Agency.
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