Why Perception is Key 
The same exact scenario can look completely different from two set of eyes. Why is this? Why don’t we all perceive the world the same? Perception is the way that we receive information thru our senses about the environment and events around us. It is painted with the brush of our past and constrained by the mental concepts we grasp to. Perception is a rendition of reality rather than a carbon copy. This is often pronounced in those moments where we experienced something at the same time with another person, however our version of the occurrence vastly differs from theirs.
Let’s take a little Disney inspo trip down memory lane with the cutest elephant in the room, Dumbo!
Rose or Blue Colored Glasses?
The first thing to note when really trying to grasp the concept of perception is that we are all seeing thru our perception like a filter, coloring and changing “what it is” into “what we think of what it is”. Being aware that this process is occurring can help us to tune this filter allowing us to get a clearer picture of life around us without having to assign negative and positive labels to everything.
Relative Not Reality
How you perceive things are often based on what they are being compared to. If you spend you life comparing it to an impossibly high ideal then it will be difficult for life to measure up, leading you to feel disappointed. Life is not supposed to be easy or perfect. When we perceive it in such a way that we expect perfection and to receive what we desire we are cheating ourselves of the greatest gratification of all- conquering difficult tasks and gaining an inner balance and strength that comes from embracing struggle.
Projected Perception
How we perceive the world around us can provide us with valuable information about ourselves. Humans have a tendency to project their feeling about themselves onto others. This can allow us the opportunity to gain some insight into our inner world. We can turn moments of discomfort into learning and growing experiences. When a situation or person stirs deep emotion within you don’t rush to judge or condemn, instead look at the situation from a less emotional standpoint and use it as a chance to observe your own perspective and how that might vary from reality.
I’m Rubber and Your Glue
Being more aware of some of the factors that influence perception can give us tools for dealing with people in our lives who may be overly critical or judgmental. Realizing that their projected negativity says more about how they feel about themselves than anything else, allows you to let go of the need for their approval. Just like we should not live under the weight of our own skewed judgemental perception, we should not have to live under someone else either.
Empathy
Understanding and accepting that everyone’s perception is different can allow us to strengthen our acceptance of others. It can be easy to slip into the assumption that others see things as we do, which can cause a host of misunderstandings and false assumptions. This can also lead to a lot of frustration as their actions don’t make sense under our perception even though they might under theirs. The realization that you can’t place your own perceptions in someone else’s mind can help you expand your capacity for true empathy and acceptance.
Short Cuts Cut You Short
The human brain likes to create and use short cuts to reduce the amount of energy needed to complete tasks. The way we perceive can be greatly influenced by this. Think of the first time you meet someone new, based on prior experiences and information you automatically assign opinions and judgments onto this person without necessarily having any basis or facts to back it up. This is very evident when you encounter someone that may resemble or have a noticeable trait as someone previously known, our brains can automatically assign characteristics of the known person to the new person when in reality there is no validity to this assessment. We all deserve a fair chance and when you are aware of the bias of perception you can confront and override this process giving the person or situation in question as well as yourself a fair chance.
Powerless Perception
One of the most maladaptive perceptions to adopt is that of helplessness. When you perceive the world thru the eyes of a victim you fail to see that you have accountability and the power to control your own feelings and life. This can be a cycle that is persistent and destructive. Accept accountability for past decisions and mistakes and face the future knowing that you are steering your own destiny as well as choosing the soundtrack you want to listen to on the trip- make it an enjoyable one.
Sticks and Stones
The words you say out loud and to yourself are affected by and effect your perception. Pay careful attention of the words you say, such as stating “ I have to…” compared to “ I want to…”, don’t sell yourself short by constructing your perception in such a way that you are being forced to do things that are in fact choices. If you're going to do it you might as well be happy about it, or at least have neutral acceptance of it.
Nothing to Fear But
Facing fears can be a great way to challenge false perceptions. Fear is such a strong emotion and is often tied to events or things that do not deserve such an extreme response. Our ideas that revolve around feared situations are often magnified and give far more power to fear than is deserves. Take for example being fearful of speaking in public, while it is a common fear, when faced repeatedly reduces in magnitude and the act of facing it can greatly increase confidence and open up the mind to not imposing limits on ourselves.
Mass Perception
The perceptions we hold are a complex group of classification and ideals, not all of which are of our own concoction. As social animals humans will adopt mass perception and cultural norms. While this can be helpful in some aspects, when the ideals are maladaptive and destruction to the individual there is need for alteration. You don’t have to live under the cloud of society’s popular perception. In a world that is so expansive you can choose your own “normal”. In a life so full of obstacles, why choose a perception that causes you pain? Often as history has shown us, the mass perception is not always right, and often quite contrary. The world can influence your perception but only to the extent you allow it to. Ultimately you are in control.
Peace Beyond Perception
The less time we spend judging the more time we can spend feeling at peace and embracing our lives. It is hard if not impossible to love and judge something at the same time, but love and acceptance go hand in hand. Realizing that no matter what incident happens in life you don’t have to be able to control the situation in order to control how you perceive it. You can choose to view it in such a way that you can find peace on the other side of pain.
What can you do about it?
- Be aware of what role that perception plays in the way you see the world.
- Question and challenge biased thoughts and feelings you have.
- Practice not assigning titles of “good” or “bad” to everything you encounter, rather just observe it for what it is.
- Focus on your own goals and life and not waste mental energy judging others lives.
- Practice positive self talk.
- Meditate and explore mindfulness.
- Try facing fears to conquer false mindsets.
- Accept and enjoy life!
Just a Dumbo
As Dumbo showed us back in 1941, often things that we or others might perceive as negative and a weakness can often be transformed into our greatest strength. Once a source of ridicule, despair, and even exploitation, Dumbo’s massive ears eventually revealed themselves to be one of his greatest gifts. Every coin has two sides, it’s all about how you look at it. The choice is yours.
All Images courtesy of Disney
Gifs courtesy of Giphy.com
Thank you so much for reading! Have yourself a beary awesome day!
Best Wishes,
