Monday, May 19, 2014

The Blind Fish Factor and Applying It To Everyday Life

I was recently introduced to the Blind Fish Factor via my monthly safety meeting at work.

The Blind Fish Factor can be Googled and explained in greater detail. However,  to summarize,  it shows how we get in such a routine and hurry that we can become careless, ignore key safety steps and procedures, and often end up being harmed as a result.  It's a different spin on missing the forest for the trees.

This concept is all too common in our everyday lives. Most people want the shortcut, the easy way out. There is no magic pill when it comes to living life. You may have those that bless and help you along the way. Nevertheless,  one must truly earn their rewards and prevent accidents and costly mistakes.

We can all fall victim to the Blind Fish Factor albeit through fitness, car and home maintenance, school, and even our relationships with others. Doing the bare minimum can get you by for a little while.  However, you cannot ignore steps, procedure and protocol.  Think of it like a recipe for a cake or casserole. You cannot skip vital steps or your dish may not turn out so pleasant.

Life may be a journey,  but it's not a vacation,  where you're trying to find the best route. Robert Frost wrote years ago about The Road Less Traveled. The reason this proverbial road is less traveled is because people don't want to put in the extra effort and work. Again they want the quick fix.

I'm glad to see older PSAs making a comeback, such as Smokey the Bear and preventing forest fires. I have written before that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That is what the Smokey PSAs are in essence saying, and that is the gist of the Blind Fish Factor.

Think of riding all day long without your seatbelt, or even insurance.  What about cleaning up messy spills? And if you're a writer like myself,  failing to properly edit or being lax in the editorial process. These bad habits can doom us all.

Paying better attention to detail and taking greater pride in what we do everyday can help yourself and everyone. We are humans and we will make mistakes. However,  we don't need to be making repeat or trivial mistakes.  The best way is through proper planning and prevention.

Take a second and look at your lives. Where has the Blind Fish Factor affected you? How do you plan to correct this?

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