Calibration - Making Adjustments to Succeed
The term calibration, referring to an act of adjusting or rectifying in accordance with a specific setting or standard, is primarily used in the world of engineering but is also found in everyday stuff that we use. For example, whether you are measuring distance or driving your car, there is usually some or other form of Calibration that takes place.
In this blog, I want to unfold Calibration in relation to our lives, specifically looking at our behaviours, thoughts, and emotions. In short, our decision making is regularly influenced by various factors, and in essence, we usually fall back to a norm or standard that we feel comfortable with doing. This is also known as a comfort zone, which relates to an area where we feel safe to function. In relation, when we look at the Calibration process in our personal lives, we need to ask ourselves a question? What am I calibrated to? What is your yardstick? What do you consider normal or correct? These questions will help you understand where you are placed and to what you are calibrated to.
From a personal perspective, the process of Calibration - learning - starts from a young age. As we grow up, our norms, character and intellect develop as we grow and learn from those around us, which eventually becomes our Worldbvview or perspective, which then becomes the standard to which we measure ourselves. Now, various factors can contribute to the calibration process, ranging from friendships, parental relationships, religious beliefs, social experiences and even television shows. Then, finally, we start forming a perspective that we later believe to be true that eventually becomes our way of making decisions.
The professional Calibration recipe is similar to forming personal perspectives; however, our education, mentors, and fellow employees also contribute to our professional identity. Our views and expectations of the workplace are influenced by our opinions and the experience of work. Our work norms are governed by the company's rules and regulations, which become the professional benchmark to calibrate our everyday work.
From a spiritual perspective, our values and beliefs are calibrated against the norms set out in the Bible. From me personally, the Bible gives excellent benchmarks and milestones to which one can calibrate your standards which doubles up as a motivator to work towards a goal and purpose that carries significance. In short, it is a gift that keeps on giving, which one never gets tired of receiving.
In the three dimensions indicated above, we can easily layout our lives. As you contemplate your own worldviews and perspectives, you should realise your norms and values, which will give you your calibration baseline. In essence, knowing these values will help you understand who you are. Which, in turn, is required to understand who you could become. If you want to establish where you can go, you need to know where you are in the present.
In essence, I want you to become aware of who you are to help you uncover your potential. We often get stuck in a rut, sometimes even unconsciously, limiting us from achieving our maximum potential. Sometimes we need to step outside of our comfort zones to enable us to grow.
The Calibration process can help you identify your comfort zone, which can help you make adjustments that could enable you to push limits and reach new possibilities. You might even discover that you need to tweak your norms and values or rediscover some forgotten truths. In short, becoming adaptive and being sustainable to change can help you unlock potential and become the best version of yourself.
I went through the process of recalibration a couple of years ago, which has motivated me to make several changes in my own life. I discovered hidden interests and values about myself, which has also encouraged me to help others find the potential within themselves. The transformation process that I underwent was life-changing, to say the least, and has proven to renew my thoughts. Since I Recalibrated myself, I have discovered dimensions and elements of myself that would have done by remaining calibrated to what I had believed to be true or valuable. Instead, I found growth purely by stepping outside my comfort zone.
Calibration is needed and essential. In the engineering world, they refer to a “master”, which is the meter or instrument used to calibrate other meters or apparatus governed by a specification or standard to ensure compliance to the specific criteria and requirements. We need to ask ourselves the same question concerning our personal lives. To what are we calibrating ourselves? Are we using the correct “master” and calibrating ourselves to the proper standard? As a starting point, one would need to answer these questions as honestly as possible, paying specific attention to what influences your views and norms that eventually influence your decision making. Are you calibrating to a standard that is prompting positive development?
In a technologically driven society, there are numerous influential aspects we fall victim to. We often want stuff that we cannot afford, or we tend to follow the majority when t comes to decision-making and have become very self-conscious of others' opinions. The public opinion-driven era can easily pull us into a loop of confusion, which eventually influences our choices. Please do not get me wrong. I am pro-technology and enjoy the advantages of a “smaller world “, but one can't help but be wary of the influenced decisions we make. Like all things in life, there is value in finding balance. One can easily uphold this balance by ensuring that we are calibrated to the correct norms and standards.
In conclusion, we are filled with potential, which can help us become the best versions of ourselves. The opportunity to help those in need is one of these discovered potentials that I intend to pursue with willingness and determination. When we treat others with respect and love, as we would want to be treated ourselves, we can encourage and motivate others to do good towards others. In a world filled with hate and greed, we can make a difference by calibrating ourselves to a standard to promote loving thy God above all else and loving thy neighbour like thyself.