Objectivity

 Objectivity

According to the Webster dictionary the definition for objectivity is treating or dealing with facts without distortion by personal feelings or prejudices. For me practicing objectivity has been considering the multiple sides of an issue and looking at it without my preconceived emotions and thoughts about the topic. Although my experience and knowledge is important every situation is different and to get the best outcome of a situation I practice being unbiased and listening to the full facts. When I disagree with someone and I'm having trouble agreeing with the person I just focus on listening to what they have to say. I try putting myself in their shoes before I think about responding.

In order to practice objectivity successfully you have to be willing to think about how the other person feels and their thoughts about the situation. My way to do this is by focusing on others and listening to the facts without letting my emotions and beliefs alter my perception. You have to step outside your body and listen to the facts. You have to listen to the three sides of the story which is your story, the other person's story, and the truth. The main purpose is to uncover the truth and that can be done by focusing on the facts of the situation without your judgment being clouded by your emotions.

I was seriously lacking objectivity in my attitude, perception on my life, especially with my relationships. I was not objective in arguments with my family member and the people close to me. I did not show respect in the form of listening to others or see things their way, this hurt me because these people care for me and were trying to point out my flaws in order to help me. Instead of listening and accepting the feedback, trying to change for the better, I chose to continue engaging with the world with a negative and selfish attitude.

This was also the case with my alcohol and drug use. When others pointed out my flaws I failed to listen and did not see the situation from their point of view. My parents tried to help me quit using drugs and told me I had addictive behaviors, I felt an attack on my self-esteem and did not receive the messages they were trying to give me to help me change and become better. Instead of looking at the negative aspects of my drug use, I was bias and focused on the things that supported me to continue using drugs. Basically Justifying my use because it made me feel better and helped me deal with my emotions. Depending on illegal drugs and substances was not the best choice, depending on anyting external was inadequate because it would only bring about temporary relief. 

When I chose to be biased and only looked at the things that encouraged my negative behavior I was struggling to keep a positive attitude of objectivity. This lacking caused me to push my loved ones away and continue being in this negative vicious cycle. I failed to look at the opposing views because they did not support my bad habits and motives. This was very detrimental to me both physically and mentally because of my dependency on an external substance that was slowly killing me like poison. Also it was mentally limiting my growth and hindering my natural way of dealing with negative emotions and my ability to deal with my problems and finding proper solutions and coping techniques.

Not being objective caused me to neglect my flaws, instead of accepting them and trying to fix them so that I can fix myself and learn from my choices and actions. This would have been a better alternative because I would have been able to work on myself and gain confidence and build my self-esteem and build character.

Practicing objectivity can tremendously benefit your relationship with other people in major ways. It can help your relationships because it encourages you to listen to others and be receptive to their message, their feelings and thoughts. Many people don't have people who actually listen to them and people they are able to vent to. If you practice listening and not just hearing them, you are actively listening, paying attention to their words and body language and tone of voice. Make sure to reiterate what they say and make proper eye contact. This will allow you to learn about the way others operate and think. Being able to do this with others will help you build stronger long lasting relationships and open new doors and opportunities for you in life.

Being objective will help you learn more about yourself as well. It will help you learn about your great attributes and your negative attributes. You will learn how your actions affect other people so that you can continue the good stuff and change the negative ones.

Keeping this mentality will contribute to your personality and character in the form of being less selfish and thinking and recognizing how your actions affect others. After practicing this attitude successfully you will be able to make better decisions in the future. These positive decisions will be more thought well and you will not be selfish and consider the effects of your actions on others and eliminate the ones that will affect others negatively.

I have used my mindset and attitude of objectivity to turn the negative situations and turning them into a positive experience. Being able to see the light when you are in the dark is a big relief and inspires you to stay on track and stay on a positive path so you can continue to work hard on your recovery and commitment to change.