Perception...Is it REALITY?

P e r c e p t i o n

perception [pəˈsɛpʃən]  n

1. the act or the effect of perceiving

2. insight or intuition gained by perceiving

3. the ability or capacity to perceive

4. way of perceiving; awareness or consciousness; view

It's raining...it's gonna be a gloomy day.

It's raining...awesome! I don't have to water.

It's raining...people will be driving crazy today!

It's raining...________________ (fill in the blanks)

How do you interpret the events that occur in your life? Your perception is a very powerful tool in determining whether or not you have a good or bad experience, or whether or not a neutral incident totally floors you.

Your perception is your reality, therefore, to you...it IS reality.

Have you ever noticed how different people can experience the exact same event, yet interpret it in entirely different ways? WHERE does YOUR perception come from?

Those inner voices are not easy to distinguish. Sometimes we just accept them as reality, but are they? Is it possible they are someone ELSE'S reality? Someone who raised us or had a large influence over our lives in our formative years or vulnerable moments?

Next time you hear an inner voice trying to interpret an event for you, CHALLENGE IT!!! Is it true? How many ways can a rainy day be interpreted? As many ways as there are PERCEPTIONS of it. Think of the voices in your head. Are they truly yours, or did you just assimilate them? THINK. Be your own best friend/counselor/confidante. Delve into those common interpretations and figure out where they really come from, and then become the author of your new, healthier inner voices. 

Tell Me Lies

"Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't." - Erica Jong

How many times have you asked someone what you should do about something when you already knew in the depths of your soul what the correct course of action was? It's actually kind of silly because no matter what anyone says, the facts of the situation will not change. Your true friends will tell you what you know to be the right answers. The ones who don't care will tell you the beautiful lies that your heart craves. 

"Never tell your problems to anyone...20% don't care and the other 80% are glad you have them." - Lou Holtz

Some people revel in the misfortunes of others. Your troubles are fodder for their entertainment. If you are so insecure that you need accolades from the other failures surrounding you, you will get what you deserve. Don't let anyone make you feel less than the beautiful human being you are.

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

When you are authentic, you can be assured that those who stick around are the ones who really care about you.

Diversity

Diversity (It can even be appreciated in an election year)

"I feel my heart break to see a nation ripped apart by its own greatest strength - its diversity." ~ Melissa Etheridge

What if everyone were just like me? While I like to think that I am AWESOME, (and I am, by the way), I don't possess all of the talents necessary to make this world go 'round. I don't have enough empathy. I am a loner. I am an observer rather than a socializer. I analyze situations from afar rather than joining in at ground zero. 

Because I know this about myself, I know that I need others around me to COMPLEMENT me. I cannot expect everyone to think and act as I do (and I thank God they don't, because then some of us would be unnecessary).

That being said, you out there who are different from me, I want to be your friend. I want you to get me out of my shell and make me do things sometimes that I would never do on my own. In turn, I will help you be more introspective and contemplative. We can be a great team.

This is extremely oversimplified, because there are many more multi-faceted individuals than the two in my example, but, I hope you get my drift.

Just think, if other people who are different from you bug you, how much do you think you may get on their last nerves?

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" ~ Luke 6:41

This, being an election year, has stirred all kinds of interchanges among people, many of whom are normally good friends, coworkers and church members, which makes it a good time to remember how much we need to treat others as we wish to be treated.

Don't make the mistake of believing your opinion is superior. "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." ~ Matthew 23:12