Objectivity, Have You Lost it?

by Kris Pitcher

I wouldn't call it an epiphany, but as I sat down tea in hand at the local coffee house to have my weekly (early) morning chat with a friend...I realized - I didn't even LOOK at the pastries. It was as if they did not exist. This is no big box coffee place. They have home made, good pastries. I have lost my lust for carbs.

As I reflected on this loss (happy dance), I thought about other things I've lost along the way. As I've made progress, I've lost one other crucial thing - objectivity. My sense is I am not alone, and I know this because other people don't see their progress either.

What we see in the mirror is often clouded by old associations of who we used to be. It's clogged up by body-image issues we are unable to let go of. Or it's just that we see ourselves every single day, and we no longer recognize the small changes we are making.

Have you lost your objectivity? Please don't go ask your spouse or partner, "Honey, do I look fat in this?" That isn't what I'm suggesting here.

But you might want to ask someone you love and trust how they see you. Ask them if they see changes in you. Or start believing them if they've been telling you all along.

One of the things that happens to competitors during preparation for a contest is you lose objectivity. It happens to everyone. I'm blessed to have an excellent trainer and other competitors around me who understand this. Knowing it myself allows me to plan for it. I can sort of "give it up" and trust my trainer.

Finding your objectivity means trusting what people close to you are telling you, and looking closely at who you see in the mirror. The you you have become now. Looking at yourself objectively isn't always easy, sometimes we just need to take a step back to see ourselves.