My wife, Rhonda, and I recently had the privilege of cruising through the Greek islands with close friends. While on the beach on the island of Rhodes, I decided to try to take some underwater pictures with my cell phone. When I declared my intention, my friends stated: Your phone can do that! At least, that's what I heard.
So, with the confidence of my desire and my friends' affirmation (so I thought), I marched into the water, stuck the camera end of my phone under the surface and snapped a picture – and it worked! Thus further encouraged, I dipped my phone again into the beautifully blue Mediterranean Sea for another shot – only this time, my phone made a weird buzzing sound, a jagged green line shot across the screen and my phone shut down, never to be operational again. As I returned to Rhonda and our friends, lamenting that I had damaged my phone, probably beyond repair, they expressed amazement at what I had done. But you said my phone could take underwater pictures! I cried. To which they replied, what we said was: Your phone can do that? Implying their serious doubt about my phone's underwater capabilities.
This funny and embarrassing story is a perfect example of hearing what we want to hear in order to affirm an action or pursue a desired goal. In my excitement to capture the beauty of the underwater world I was experiencing, I latched on to anything – no matter how dubious – that bolstered my desire and confirmed my intention.
I do this with Google Maps, too, which I use regularly. While utilizing Maps, I frequently have it in my head which direction to turn next. And even though I hear the Google voice stating loud and clear, In 200 feet, turn left; I turn right, fully convinced that I am following Google's directions.
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