Do you see what I see?

A master was instructing his pupils and one day he said to them –

“When you look at me what do see? When you look in a mirror what do you see?”

The pupils were somewhat baffled by this cryptic statement, and after conferring amongst themselves one went to the master and asked – “Master, we don’t understand, what are you trying to teach us?”

The master replied, “It’s simple, when you look at me and when you look at yourselves in a mirror, you are not seeing and accepting me as I am or even yourself as you truly are, but rather you are seeing me as you expect me to be, and see yourself as you have been told that you are. When you talk to a stranger on the street, have you not already formed in your mind a perception of how that interaction will go, who that person is or will be to you? You see them not as they truly are but as you expect them to be.”

When you started your business, you had expectations of what you wanted it to be and what you wanted to get out of it, and whilst having goals to work to is admirable you don’t want them to govern everything and stop you changing and evolving as you move forward. When you put yourself first in business, not in a selfish, arrogant way but rather when you make sure that you are taken care of, that your needs are being met, that feeling flows out to the customer. But at the same time you need to see those customers not as you expect them to be but as they truly are, and by understanding them and that process better you can adapt yourself and your business to fit their experience, and increase your success.

When your personal and business needs are all being met, then you are in a place of well-being, and that well-being will reflect on how you see others.

We’re told to put others before ourselves, and whilst that is true in many circumstances, you must also ensure that you have a level of self-care, and a true recognition of those around you rather than a perception of them. Authenticity in this line of work is key. Build up your self-worth and integrity, then spill it onto the products, while aligning your true vision with the true needs of the customers.

As we all know, what you push out is reflected upon you even more so. Just like sunlight reflecting off a mirror seems more dazzling than the sunlight itself.