04/21/25
Which of the three horizontal lines above is the longest line?
If you’ve seen this before, you already know the answer.
If this is the first time you’re seeing this, you may be assuming that the second line is the longest.
But as you’re probably guessing, this is an illusion.
It’s called the Müller-Lyer illusion, whereby it appears that one line is longer than the others, but they are actually the same exact length.
Here’s the proof:
I’m less interested in sharing with you why this happens and more interested in exploring the implications of this phenomenon.
What is clear by this illusion is that our initial thoughts about “what is true” are completely false.
We believe our initial thought that the second line is longer.
Even as you look at it now, your mind still wants to believe the second line is longer.
The point?
Very often, our thoughts are wrong.
Our initial thoughts about…
– How well we’re performing
– What other people think about us
– Mistakes we’ve made
– Our perception of ourselves
– The new leader who just joined our company
– Changes at home or at work
Could be 100% wrong!
So the best thing you can do…
Is to detach from your thoughts…
Observe them…
And answer this one, simple question:
“Is this true?”
That simple pause before making a judgment or decision could make all the difference for you.
The implications of this illusion make it irrefutable…your thoughts are not always right.
So treat them that way.
Not with harshness, anger, or self-criticism…
But with genuine curiosity.
Rooting for you,
Jay (encouraging you to detach from your thoughts)
