0:00:00.835,0:00:02.771
When Dorothy was a little girl,

0:00:02.771,0:00:05.314
she was fascinated by her goldfish.

0:00:05.314,0:00:08.996
Her father explained to her that fish swim[br]by quickly wagging their tails

0:00:08.996,0:00:11.200
to propel themselves through the water.

0:00:11.200,0:00:18.339
Without hesitation,[br]little Dorothy responded,

0:00:18.711,0:00:19.301
"Yes, Daddy, and fish swim backwards[br]by wagging their heads."

0:00:19.301,0:00:20.143
(Laughter)

0:00:20.143,0:00:21.357
In her mind, it was a fact[br]as true as any other.

0:00:21.357,0:00:23.560
Fish swim backwards[br]by wagging their heads.

0:00:23.560,0:00:25.385
She believed it.

0:00:25.385,0:00:28.429
Our lives are full[br]of fish swimming backwards.

0:00:28.429,0:00:31.075
We make assumptions[br]and faulty leaps of logic.

0:00:31.075,0:00:32.387
We harbor bias.

0:00:32.387,0:00:34.509
We know that we are right[br]and they are wrong.

0:00:34.509,0:00:36.319
We fear the worst.

0:00:36.319,0:00:38.769
We strive for unattainable perfection.

0:00:38.769,0:00:41.959
We tell ourselves what we can[br]and cannot do.

0:00:41.959,0:00:45.889
In our minds, fish swim by in reverse[br]frantically wagging their heads

0:00:45.889,0:00:48.242
and we don't even notice them.

0:00:48.242,0:00:51.462
I'm going to tell you five facts[br]about myself.

0:00:51.462,0:00:54.077
One fact is not true.

0:00:54.077,0:00:59.357
One: I graduated from Harvard at 19[br]with an Honor's Degree in Mathematics.

0:00:59.357,0:01:04.681
Two: I currently run[br]a construction company in Orlando.

0:01:04.681,0:01:09.467
Three: I starred on a television sitcom.

0:01:09.467,0:01:11.819
Four: I lost my sight

0:01:11.819,0:01:14.927
to a rare genetic eye disease.

0:01:14.927,0:01:20.696
Five: I served as a law clerk[br]to two U.S. Supreme Court Justices.

0:01:20.696,0:01:22.457
Which fact is not true?

0:01:24.398,0:01:26.683
Actually, they're all true.

0:01:26.683,0:01:28.425
Yeah. They're all true.

0:01:28.425,0:01:31.991
(Applause)

0:01:33.112,0:01:36.812
At this point, most people really[br]only care about the television show.

0:01:36.812,0:01:39.080
(Laughter)

0:01:39.080,0:01:42.040
I know this from experience.

0:01:42.040,0:01:46.101
Okay, so the show was NBC's[br]"Saved By The Bell: The New Class."

0:01:46.101,0:01:50.492
And I played Weasel Wyzell,

0:01:50.492,0:01:54.583
who was the sort of dorky,[br]nerdy character on the show,

0:01:54.583,0:01:59.568
which made it[br]a very major acting challenge

0:01:59.568,0:02:01.517
for me as a 13-year old boy.

0:02:01.517,0:02:03.581
(Laughter)

0:02:03.581,0:02:07.379
Now, did you struggle[br]with number four, my blindness?

0:02:07.379,0:02:09.517
Why is that?

0:02:09.517,0:02:12.575
We make assumptions about[br]so-called disabilities.

0:02:12.575,0:02:15.566
As a blind man, I confront[br]others' incorrect assumptions

0:02:15.566,0:02:18.873
about my abilities every day.

0:02:18.873,0:02:21.438
My point today is not[br]about my blindness, however.

0:02:21.438,0:02:23.676
It's about my vision.

0:02:23.676,0:02:28.375
Going blind taught me[br]to live my life eyes wide open.

0:02:28.375,0:02:30.711
It taught me to spot[br]those backwards-swimming fish

0:02:30.711,0:02:32.468
that our minds create.

0:02:32.468,0:02:36.168
Going blind cast them into focus.

0:02:36.168,0:02:38.987
What does it feel like to see?

0:02:38.987,0:02:41.055
It's immediate and passive.

0:02:41.055,0:02:43.232
You open your eyes and there's the world.

0:02:43.232,0:02:45.361
Seeing is believing. Sight is truth.

0:02:45.361,0:02:46.878
Right?

0:02:46.878,0:02:49.669
Well, that's what I thought.

0:02:49.669,0:02:55.183
Then, from age 12 to 25,[br]my retinas progressively deteriorated.

0:02:55.183,0:02:58.498
My sight became an increasingly bizarre

0:02:58.498,0:03:01.655
carnival funhouse hall[br]of mirrors and illusions.

0:03:01.655,0:03:04.154
The salesperson I was relieved[br]to spot in a store

0:03:04.154,0:03:05.961
was really a mannequin.

0:03:05.961,0:03:09.335
Reaching down to wash my hands,[br]I suddenly saw it was a urinal

0:03:09.335,0:03:13.462
I was touching, not a sink,[br]when my fingers felt its true shape.

0:03:13.462,0:03:15.844
A friend described the photograph[br]in my hand, and only then

0:03:15.844,0:03:18.623
could I see the image depicted.

0:03:18.623,0:03:24.344
Objects appeared, morphed[br]and disappeared in my reality.

0:03:24.344,0:03:27.666
It was difficult and exhausting to see.

0:03:27.666,0:03:30.414
I pieced together fragmented,[br]transitory images,

0:03:30.414,0:03:32.912
consciously analyzed the clues,

0:03:32.912,0:03:36.875
searched for some logic[br]in my crumbling kaleidoscope,

0:03:36.875,0:03:39.473
until I saw nothing at all.

0:03:39.473,0:03:41.562
I learned that what we see

0:03:41.562,0:03:44.456
is not universal truth.

0:03:44.456,0:03:47.975
It is not objective reality.

0:03:47.975,0:03:52.743
What we see is a unique,[br]personal, virtual reality

0:03:52.743,0:03:55.571
that is masterfully[br]constructed by our brain.

0:03:55.571,0:03:58.354
Let me explain with a bit[br]of amateur neuroscience.

0:03:58.354,0:04:01.802
Your visual cortex takes up[br]about 30 percent of your brain.

0:04:01.802,0:04:05.273
That's compared to approximately[br]eight percent for touch

0:04:05.273,0:04:07.707
and two to three percent for hearing.

0:04:07.707,0:04:11.668
Every second, your eyes can send[br]your visual cortex

0:04:11.668,0:04:14.514
as many as two billion[br]pieces of information.

0:04:14.514,0:04:18.772
The rest of your body can send your brain[br]only an additional billion.

0:04:18.772,0:04:22.767
So sight is one third[br]of your brain by volume,

0:04:22.767,0:04:27.357
and can claim about two thirds[br]of your brain's processing resources.

0:04:27.357,0:04:30.462
It's no surprise, then, that the illusion[br]of sight is so compelling.

0:04:30.462,0:04:34.120
But make no mistake about it:[br]sight is an illusion.

0:04:34.120,0:04:36.019
Here's where it gets interesting.

0:04:36.019,0:04:39.277
To create the experience of sight,[br]your brain references

0:04:39.277,0:04:41.660
your conceptual[br]understanding of the world,

0:04:41.660,0:04:45.838
other knowledge, your memories,[br]opinions, emotions, mental attention.

0:04:45.838,0:04:50.968
All of these things and far more[br]are linked your brain to your sight.

0:04:50.968,0:04:54.709
These linkages work both ways,[br]and usually occur subconsciously,

0:04:54.709,0:04:56.452
so for example,

0:04:56.452,0:04:58.576
what you see impacts how you feel,

0:04:58.576,0:05:02.276
and the way you feel can literally[br]change what you see.

0:05:02.276,0:05:04.643
Numerous studies demonstrate this.

0:05:04.643,0:05:07.867
If you are asked to estimate[br]the walking speed of a man

0:05:07.867,0:05:09.824
in a video, for example,

0:05:09.824,0:05:15.463
your answer will be different if you're[br]told to think about cheetahs or turtles.

0:05:15.463,0:05:18.226
A hill appears steeper[br]if you've just exercised,

0:05:18.226,0:05:20.937
and a landmark appears farther away

0:05:20.937,0:05:24.093
if you're wearing a heavy backpack.

0:05:24.093,0:05:27.846
We have arrived[br]at a fundamental contradiction.

0:05:27.846,0:05:32.810
What you see is a complex mental[br]construction of your own making,

0:05:32.810,0:05:35.835
but you experience it passively[br]as a direct representation

0:05:35.835,0:05:37.972
of the world around you.

0:05:37.972,0:05:41.738
You create your own reality[br]and you believe it.

0:05:41.738,0:05:44.978
I believed mine until it broke apart.

0:05:44.978,0:05:48.430
The deterioration of my eyes[br]shattered the illusion.

0:05:48.430,0:05:53.139
You see, sight is just one way

0:05:53.139,0:05:53.593
we shape our reality.

0:05:53.593,0:05:57.030
We create our own realities[br]in many other ways.

0:05:57.030,0:06:01.535
Let's take fear as just one example.

0:06:01.535,0:06:06.034
Your fears distort your reality.

0:06:06.034,0:06:10.426
Under the warped logic of fear,[br]anything is better than the uncertain.

0:06:10.426,0:06:12.632
Fear fills the void at all costs,

0:06:12.632,0:06:16.309
passing off what you dread[br]for what you know,

0:06:16.309,0:06:17.824
offering up the worst[br]in place of the ambiguous,

0:06:17.824,0:06:20.305
substituting assumption for reason.

0:06:20.305,0:06:22.113
Psychologists have a great term for it:

0:06:22.113,0:06:24.023
awfulizing.

0:06:24.023,0:06:30.269
Fear replaces the unknown with the awful.

0:06:30.269,0:06:32.261
Now, fear is self-realizing.

0:06:32.261,0:06:36.633
When you face the greatest need to look[br]outside yourself and think critically,

0:06:36.633,0:06:39.560
fear beats a retreat[br]deep inside your mind,

0:06:39.560,0:06:41.155
shrinking and distorting your view,

0:06:41.155,0:06:43.737
drowning your capacity[br]for critical thought

0:06:43.737,0:06:46.022
with a flood of disruptive emotions.

0:06:46.022,0:06:48.981
When you face a compelling[br]opportunity to take action,

0:06:48.981,0:06:51.514
fear lulls you into inaction,

0:06:51.514,0:06:55.305
enticing you to passively watch[br]its prophecies fulfill themselves.

0:06:57.885,0:07:00.386
When I was diagnosed[br]with my blinding disease,

0:07:00.386,0:07:04.462
I knew blindness would ruin my life.

0:07:04.462,0:07:07.554
Blindness was a death sentence[br]for my independence.

0:07:07.554,0:07:10.646
It was the end of achievement for me.

0:07:10.646,0:07:14.642
Blindness meant I would live[br]an unremarkable life,

0:07:14.642,0:07:16.533
small and sad,

0:07:16.533,0:07:18.590
and likely alone.

0:07:18.590,0:07:20.528
I knew it.

0:07:20.528,0:07:25.131
This was a fiction born of my fears,[br]but I believed it.

0:07:25.131,0:07:27.730
It was a lie, but it was my reality,

0:07:27.730,0:07:32.070
just like those backwards-swimming fish[br]in little Dorothy's mind.

0:07:32.070,0:07:34.554
If I had not confronted[br]the reality of my fear,

0:07:34.554,0:07:36.511
I would have lived it.

0:07:36.511,0:07:39.355
I am certain of that.

0:07:40.144,0:07:43.762
So how do you live your life[br]eyes wide open?

0:07:43.762,0:07:45.778
It is a learned discipline.

0:07:45.778,0:07:48.833
It can be taught. It can be practiced.

0:07:48.833,0:07:51.589
I will summarize very briefly.

0:07:51.589,0:07:53.767
Hold yourself accountable

0:07:53.767,0:07:56.172
for every moment, every thought,

0:07:56.172,0:07:58.319
every detail.

0:07:58.319,0:08:00.055
See beyond your fears.

0:08:00.055,0:08:01.615
Recognize your assumptions.

0:08:01.615,0:08:03.410
Harness your internal strength.

0:08:03.410,0:08:05.811
Silence your internal critic.

0:08:05.811,0:08:09.181
Correct your misconceptions[br]about luck and about success.

0:08:09.181,0:08:13.702
Accept your strengths and your weaknesses,[br]and understand the difference.

0:08:13.702,0:08:15.101
Open your hearts

0:08:15.101,0:08:17.683
to your bountiful blessings.

0:08:17.683,0:08:19.909
Your fears, your critics,

0:08:19.909,0:08:21.892
your heroes, your villains,

0:08:21.892,0:08:24.868
they are your excuses,

0:08:24.868,0:08:27.249
rationalizations, shortcuts,

0:08:27.249,0:08:30.621
justifications, your surrender.

0:08:30.621,0:08:33.890
They are fictions you perceive as reality.

0:08:33.890,0:08:35.752
Choose to see through them.

0:08:35.752,0:08:38.086
Choose to let them go.

0:08:38.086,0:08:42.380
You are the creator of your reality.

0:08:42.380,0:08:46.392
With that empowerment[br]comes complete responsibility.

0:08:46.392,0:08:52.773
I chose to step out of fear's tunnel[br]into terrain uncharted and undefined.

0:08:52.773,0:08:56.027
I chose to build there a blessed life.

0:08:56.027,0:08:58.171
Far from alone,

0:08:58.171,0:09:01.174
I share my beautiful life with Dorothy,

0:09:01.174,0:09:02.834
my beautiful wife,

0:09:02.834,0:09:06.447
with our triplets, who we call[br]the Tripsky's,

0:09:06.447,0:09:08.721
and with the latest addition[br]to the family,

0:09:08.721,0:09:10.989
sweet baby Clementine.

0:09:10.989,0:09:13.588
What do you fear?

0:09:13.588,0:09:16.579
What lies do you tell yourself?

0:09:16.579,0:09:20.509
How do you embellish your truth[br]and write your own fictions?

0:09:20.509,0:09:24.357
What reality are you creating[br]for yourself?

0:09:24.357,0:09:27.482
In your career and personal life,[br]in your relationships,

0:09:27.482,0:09:29.290
and in your heart and soul,

0:09:29.290,0:09:32.764
your backwards-swimming fish[br]do you great harm.

0:09:32.764,0:09:37.462
They exact a toll in missed opportunities[br]and unrealized potential,

0:09:37.462,0:09:40.156
and they engender insecurity and distrust

0:09:40.156,0:09:43.482
where you seek fulfillment and connection.

0:09:43.482,0:09:46.983
I urge you to search them out.

0:09:46.983,0:09:51.833
Helen Keller said that the only thing[br]worse than being blind

0:09:51.833,0:09:55.122
is having sight but no vision.

0:09:55.122,0:09:58.936
For me, going blind[br]was a profound blessing,

0:09:58.936,0:10:01.831
because blindness gave me vision.

0:10:01.831,0:10:04.495
I hope you can see what I see.

0:10:04.495,0:10:07.569
Thank you.

0:10:07.569,0:10:13.360
(Applause)

0:10:19.950,0:10:23.371
Bruno Giussani: Isaac, before you[br]leave the stage, just a question.

0:10:23.371,0:10:27.777
This is an audience of entrepreneurs,[br]of doers, of innovators.

0:10:27.777,0:10:31.164
You are a CEO of a company[br]down in Florida,

0:10:31.164,0:10:33.215
and many are probably wondering,

0:10:33.215,0:10:36.017
how is it to be a blind CEO?

0:10:36.017,0:10:39.830
What kind of specific challenges do you[br]have and how do you overcome them?

0:10:39.830,0:10:43.019
Isaac Lidsky: Well, the biggest challenge[br]became a blessing.

0:10:43.019,0:10:45.831
I don't get visual feedback from people.

0:10:45.831,0:10:48.330
(Laughter)

0:10:48.330,0:10:50.484
BG: What's that noise there?[br]IL: Yeah.

0:10:50.484,0:10:54.005
So, for example,[br]in my leadership team meetings,

0:10:54.005,0:10:56.913
I don't see facial[br]expressions or gestures.

0:10:56.913,0:11:01.501
I've learned to solicit[br]a lot more verbal feedback.

0:11:01.501,0:11:06.236
I basically force people[br]to tell me what they think.

0:11:06.236,0:11:08.244
And in this respect,

0:11:08.244,0:11:12.140
it's become like I said a real blessing[br]for me personally and for my company,

0:11:12.140,0:11:15.576
because we communicate[br]at a far deeper level,

0:11:15.576,0:11:18.141
we avoid ambiguities,

0:11:18.141,0:11:20.393
and most important,

0:11:20.393,0:11:25.326
my team knows that what[br]they think truly matters.

0:11:25.326,0:11:28.910
BG: Isaac, thank you for coming to TED.[br]IL: Thank you, Bruno.

0:11:28.910,0:11:33.202
(Applause)