Cultivating the Inner Eye
Our eyes are incredible pieces of engineering. Light from the visual spectrum moves through the cornea, passes through the lens, and hits photoreceptors in the retina which convert light into electrical signals the brain can interpret.
For those of us fortunate enough to have the gift of sight, we’re able to paint rich, colorful images of the world around us. In concert with our other senses, we use our gifts to help formulate opinions, build interpersonal relationships, avoid danger, navigate our surroundings, and make meaningful contributions to family and society.
We use our eyes to look outward and spend the vast majority of our waking moments evaluating what’s happening around us. Our central processing system is also unbelievably complex and works to take millions of data points from our sensors. The brain then distills that sea of information into a framework we can interpret and understand. The interpretation framework we cultivate is unique to each of us and is highly dependent on our local environment, upbringing, and formal/informal education we engage in throughout our lives.
As amazing as this system is, it is also fraught with myriad biases. We are not all-powerful and continually make conscious and unconscious choices about the information we can process at any given moment. It is the fact that we all walk the earth with a “one size fits you” set of lenses that we must also cultivate and train our inner eye.
What’s the Inner Eye?
In my opinion, we spend too little time looking inward. We’re inundated with so much information and external stimuli that it seems almost unnatural to turn our eyes inward. However, I’ve found that cultivating this hypothetical inner eye can have tremendous benefits and allow us to strike a more appropriate balance between what’s going on outside with what’s happening on the inside.
Put simply, the inner eye is intentional self-reflection that challenges our beliefs, biases, and actions, coupled with a willingness and ability to learn, pivot, and change so that we may continually improve as a human.
How do we Cultivate the Inner Eye?
The first step on the journey to strengthen the fidelity of our inner eye is to recognize our obligation to learn and continuously improve. Without a strong inner eye, we become rigid, fixed and unyielding. Without a strong inner eye, it is difficult to see ourselves as part of the solution to challenges. We easily fall into the trap of a blame mindset and are easily swayed by strong voices that are not our own.
Here are a few recommendations to cultivate the inner eye:
Make Time for You: We fill our lives with “busy” and distractions. What little downtime we have is reserved for binging TV and engaging in other forms of entertainment. Instead, be purposeful and set time aside for you. For those who are relentless multitaskers, it is possible to combine exercise with self-reflection, but even within a workout, be intentional about your cooldown and use that time to get quiet and focus your energy inward.
Meditate: Meditation isn’t for everyone, but sitting still in a quiet place is something we should all know how to do. Personally, I like to lay on my back with my arms and legs outstretched and allow my body to completely sink into the floor (a yoga position known as savasana). Once I’ve let go of my body, the focus of my inner eye improves dramatically.
Use the Mirror: If you have trouble looking inward like I did as a younger man, use the mirror. It may feel silly at first, but I’ve had some very serious and productive discussions with myself by standing in front of the mirror and looking directly into my own eyes. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how disarming it can be to challenge myself directly in this way.
Bring the Concept of Bias into Working Memory: Half the battle is to recognize that bias is all around you. It lives deep inside all of us. However, many of us have developed a belief system that doesn’t account for bias and it’s difficult to accept that we might be biased in one way or another. I’ve included a Wikipedia link at the end of this muse that discusses cognitive bias and it’s quite the list. The time you spend educating yourself on various forms of cognitive bias is time well spent.
Use the Power of Why: One of the most powerful words in the English language is “why?” In the parlance of continuous improvement, they’re called the “five whys.” Take an issue, challenge, or position and ask yourself “why do I feel this way?” or “why did I react the way I did?” The trick is to keep asking “why” until you approach the root cause of the issue. Be prepared to accept that sometimes the root cause lies with you.
Be Intentional: Sometimes it’s fun to engage in meditation and just let your mind wander to see where it takes you, but you don’t want to cultivate an inner eye that’s random and without purpose. Instead, pick an issue that’s particularly thorny or troublesome and focus your attention on that. Then start asking “why.”
Be Willing to Ask for Help: There are many resources you can tap into to help cultivate your inner eye. Don’t be afraid to engage with a therapist - I’m sure glad I did. Reach out to one of your mentors. Talk. Engage. You’re not alone.
Conclusion
One of our most important balancing acts we have as humans is to strike an appropriate equilibrium between the world within and the outside world. Too much attention on one or the other can lead to challenges.
I’ve found that I am much more mentally agile, accepting of change, and can tap into my full potential by keeping this balancing act in working memory.
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