Perception VS. Reality

I wanted to start off by giving you google's definition of Perception vs. Reality.  "Our perception creates our thoughts which creates our reality. The reality, on the other hand, is the true state of things- how things really are, whether we perceive them to be as such or not. It is important to note that it is we who supply the perceptions and build our beliefs with them." 

I love this analogy because it represents what is true and what we believe to be true based on our own experiences with the inner and outer world. I chose this topic because I believe everyone has their own perception of the world, people, government, you name it!

 Our perception is formed based on how we grew up. Think about it, if you suffered a lot of trauma in your childhood your perception of people might be more closed off then someone who did not. You might have a hard time trusting people, allowing people to get close to you, etc. And vise versa! You grew up with everything you ever dreamt of your perception of the world is "I get everything I want!"

Now we can sit and think about our childhood, what we did not get, what we got, the amount of love we received, and gave to people but reminiscing on such things will not be in your best interest. You will not be able to move on, and you may ultimately get stuck mentally and emotionally. In life, we all need to level up, for heaven's sake we are humans!

We are meant to evolve and be better than we were yesterday. When we evolve, we must evolve our perception as well. Reality will stay the same, you will always see trees, the sky, the ocean, the moon, and the sun, that reality of the world will never go away, but our perception is what we can control.

Think about your life up until this point... How have you interpreted everyday life? Do you see the world as cold and malicious or the complete opposite? However you do, ask yourself "is this reality based on my upbringing, or is reality really all black and white?"

I used to have a really black and white mentality. It was either people were nice or mean, no in-between, no if and or buts about it! This level of life that I had perceived was due to my abandonment issues and not allowing people to get too close. Thank goodness I had a great therapist at the time and she had discussed with me the importance of not having this frame of mind. She'd always say "it won't hurt to see some gray sometimes!" and I tell you, as I started to evolve and mature I knew exactly what she had meant.

Nowadays our flight or fight stress response is out of control. We have learned to keep operating through life on autopilot. When was the last time you stopped and admired a flower? Or how about taking a stroll along the beach inhaling the salty air? When we're always on automatic pilot mode, our perception can get a bit foggy.
For example, you've been writing a paper for the last few days. All of your focus and energy is on completing this for class, you don't sleep, eat, or even breathe its that intense. You hand in your paper. and a few days go by, you get back your paper, and come to find out you received a big fat F and a note saying " you missed the whole concept of this thesis". Your perception was you devoted the last few days giving your all to this paper but in all actuality, your topic doesn't even relate to what your professor wanted you to cover.

My point is folks, we can't always believe what we perceive to be true! Based on a lot of factors in your life, your perception can get a bit hazy or you might find yourself thinking in a black and white way. If you find yourself nodding in agreement to what I'm stating, or reflecting on how you have viewed the world thus far, self-reflection is your gateway to changing your perception so that it is a lot clearer!

 By reflecting back on how you have responded to outside events whether your curse the world for your faults or maybe your head is too much in the clouds, think about how you have reacted and if you find yourself realizing there are some things you need to change about yourself, then do it! Remember in order to grow and become more self-aware, we need to look ourselves in the mirror and realize we've been the one holding ourselves back based on how we have distinguished life. 

How you wish to see things is up to you my friends, but when we can change how we see things, you never know! Opportunities you never thought were there might suddenly appear. :)

"Life is all about perception. Positive versus negative. Whichever you choose will affect and more than likely reflect your outcomes."