Tunnel Vision

Have you ever heard this term before?  Tunnel Vision.  I first learned about tunnel vision when I used to curl competitively in high school.  When you are in the zone… when you are focused on the task at hand… you have tunnel vision.  Don’t get distracted.  Keep your eye on the prize.  Set a goal and get it done.  I understand this notion of tunnel vision in terms of high performance sport.

Tunnel vision would be a useful tool for my dissertation.  I have so many things on the go, that sometimes sitting down and writing my dissertation for an extended period of time does not happen.  I get that tunnel vision can be a good thing. What about the negative aspects of tunnel vision?  What if you are so focused on a task that you lose sight of everything else or lose perspective?

I am beginning to realize that I’ve been so focused on myself and my achievements that I have lost focus on what’s truly important… my family, my health, and my academic studies.  Sometimes an unpleasant wake up call is needed to pull on the heart-strings to truly understand what is important in life.  There are no absolutes, but there is balance, recognition, and acknowledgment.

Lesson learned:  Tunnel vision is good… but when you are in the tunnel… don’t get stuck in there.