The Importance of Professional Clarity
I never really had good eyesight. I got glasses in the Second Grade and they progressively got worse as I got older. They finally stabilized sometime in college. However, after I had been working for a while, I found out I had cataracts. It was a shock, but it hadn’t really affected my life.
In 2020, it pretty quickly got worse. It was so bad that at night, while on a walk if a car with its headlights on was coming toward me, I couldn’t see the sidewalk under my own two feet. At this point, I needed to get cataract surgery. They recommended that I get my right eye done first, then my left eye about a month later. Besides getting my wisdom teeth removed, I hadn’t had any other kind of surgery. Plus, it was my eyeballs. What if something went wrong and I lost the eyeball? Losing a tooth was ok since I had so many others, but I only have two eyes.
So I got my right eye done. I was very nervous, but overall it was a quick process, only about 2-3 hours from start to finish. They put an eyepatch to cover my eye for the rest of the day. The next day I went in for my check-up with the doctor to make sure everything was ok. I had a 10 am appointment, and that would be the first time I would see out of my “new” eye. I was nervous and excited at the same time.
The doctor took the tape off the eye patch and slowly lifted it off my face. To my surprise, everything looked so clear! Apparently, I had no idea how bad my vision was. I was so excited about my new vision that I couldn't wait to get my left eye done.
Why am I sharing this story? Prior to the surgery, I thought I actually had pretty good vision, but really, I had no idea what clear vision was. It was at that moment that my life lesson came to me: I didn’t actually have as much clarity in my life as I thought. I wanted to be a coach… but I didn’t see it clearly until that moment. It took something that was about to rob me of my vision for me to have any clarity in my life. Ironic, no? While reflecting on my experience, I also realized that I wouldn’t have gained clarity without the help and support of others. In the case of my eyes, I had the optometrists and surgeons identify the issue and resolve it for me. Having their expertise in my corner also helped calm my nerves about taking the next step, a little bit. In my life, it was the support of coaches, mentors, and close friends who helped me on my path. When I mentioned that I wanted to become a coach, they all said it seemed like a natural choice for me. I was still nervous to move forward with it, but I felt better about taking the necessary steps.
So how’s your vision? Do you have clarity? If not, what “professionals” around you can help you get more clarity? Do you have any mentors or close friends? Perhaps a coach could help you out? Please reach out if you think I can be of help. “See” you soon.
Kevin Koo is a professional coach who specializes in personal, business, and leadership development while squinting to read the Forum. Contact him at kevinkoocoaching@gmail.com
