Over the past few months, we've talked a bit about skills, knowledge, and experience that we find in our Blind Spots.

But what about people?

How do they get lost in there? How do we find out that we've lost people in our Blind Spots?

This month (I know it's December, but this is still November's message), I'm going to explore the ease with which we lose people in our Blind Spots, and the techniques we can use to find them again.

And so, let's look at...

Who's lost in my blind spots, and how do I find them again?

It's no secret that I survived a heart attack. I found that the experiencing of contemplating my own demise was stimulating.

Yes, stimulating.

If you'd like to hear me tell the story, it's on my web site right here. Or you can read about it right here (not nearly as moving or amusing, but more detail).

But I'm going to give you the short version today so that we can get right to the good stuff.

While working out in karate school, I began to have a heart attack. Within ten minutes of onset, I had someone call 9-1-1 and was whisked to the hospital emergency room in an ambulance.

Strangely, I had a lot of time to think during this entire fascinating experience.

Yes, fascinating.

I was experiencing new and challenging sensations. I was exploring a totally new - and unexpected - experience.

And there wasn't much else for me to do but think - about myself, about what was going on, about the possibilities, about the possibility of my own death.

While I lay there in the emergency room, on the gurney, I looked deeply into my blind spots. And I found my family and friends, tucked away neatly in my blind spot.

The Statue of Liberty Syndrome

Years ago, I started referring to "the Statue of Liberty Syndrome." More recently, I think I should call it "the World Trade Center Syndrome."

You see, I grew up in New York City, on the island of Manhattan. In fact, my mother has been living in that same apartment since around 1950. Astounding! All around me were buildings and locations that are famous around the entire world - Central Park and the Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Natural History and the Empire State Building and - yes - the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center.

You'd think that I'd seen them all, right? And, in fact, I went to or saw many of them. Of course, as a kid, things like the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center weren't all that exciting. The Central Park Zoo was very cool, and I've been to shows at Lincoln Center and have been to many of the museums in the City (yes, capital C). But in all my life, I have never been to the Statue of Liberty or the World Trade Center.

Why? Because they'd always be there. So I could go whenever I wanted to go, right?

I'd imagine that there are places and things like that in your life. There are probably places that you have thought "I'd like to go there" and just haven't gotten around to it yet.

How about people?

How often have you found yourself saying "I'll spend some time with them soon, as soon as I finish this project/job/task? They'll still be there, but this job needs to get done!"

And then time goes by, and you don't quite get around to it.

This happened to me again recently. One of my closest friends lives here in Austin. We worked together, at one point, every day and spent lots of time together. We are both married, both have children, and are both working hard on starting our own businesses. We used to get together at least once a month. Then it got longer and longer in between. Recently we got together and had lunch and realized that it had been almost a year since we'd seen each other! A YEAR!

I don't know about you, but I find that distressing. A year. Sigh.

So I've made a new commitment to myself. I will make an effort to look in my blind spots to find all the people I care about and not leave them sitting there.

After all, one of us just might not be here tomorrow. So why wait?

Wishing you health, wealth, and happiness,

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Steven works with entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals who want to clarify their communications and concepts so that they can dramatically increase their business profitability.

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