I Think I Know You
Here I am in Austin TX to see the premier motorcycle riders in the World Championship series compete on an amazing circuit. As I was walking around the track enjoying all the sights, sounds, and smells, soaking up the atmosphere yesterday, I kept thinking back to when I was here last year and got to meet up with an old friend, Megan, during one of the practice days. I didn’t have contact information and I couldn’t remember who I’d connected with the previous year to meet up with her.
Last night I went to one of the meet and greet dealership parties. It was a great party with loads of riders and other racing enthusiasts. Toward the end of the evening I settled into conversation with this really nice, fun couple who live here in Austin. We started talking about the track and riding on it for track days. The young woman mentions the shifting soil under parts of the track which create bumps that appear in various places from time to time. That triggered a memory and I asked, “Hey, do you know Megan?” Wide eyed, she looks at me and says, “I AM Megan! OMG!! You’re Michelle!!”
It’s funny how memory and perception are tied to so many other factors.
They say the sense of smell is the most powerful link to memories. What else makes that connection of remembrance in our brains? How many times have you had a similar experience of meeting someone and not remembering their name or how you know them? They lack context. The framework which their identity is connected to is not where you are. Let’s take this concept a step further. What other ways of perceiving things are you allowing to limit your understanding of situations? If you can broaden your perspective and see a challenge through a different lens, change the context, imagine the same challenge under different parameters, could you find a new way of seeing the same challenge as an opportunity?