Taking a Deeper Look at Your Perceptions

Taking a deeper look at your own perceptions

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Tracy Seekins

Did you know that not any two of us see the world the same way? Did you know that not any two of us see any given situation entirely the same way?

Each of us sees the world from our own perspective and with our own unique perception. Those perceptions were created over time by experiences that we went through. They were created by trauma, drama, love, fun, and every other experience you have had in your life.

Looking deeper at that, those experiences that helped create your unique perception were perceived from the perception that you had already developed by the time you experienced the new thing.

We can continue to follow that all the way back to childhood and even our lives as babies and within the womb. There is evidence that children do have some perception from the womb and we begin developing our perception of life from there.

Now let’s take a couple of present day situations. You are sitting at your computer typing a message to a friend, colleague, or some other person important to you. You choose words and phrases that express your thoughts and feelings based on how you would perceive what you are writing if you were the recipient.

Then your friend or whomever receives this, hopefully well thought out, piece of email from you. They read it from their own perspective and react to the words based on the unique perceptions they have developed over their journey.

They also might know you well enough to know how you express yourself and that to will play a role in how they perceive your written word.

What happens when something you wrote is not perceived the way you meant it to be? Generally this can lead to misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and even outright arguments.

The same goes for our everyday lives. For instance: My husband is driving down the road and a car changes lanes only to cut back into traffic in an inconvenient or even slightly hazardous fashion. My husband, because of many years of driving trucks and taxis, might perceive this as this person being in so much of a hurry that they simply didn’t care about the other drivers on the road. I might perceive it, because of my many years of mistakes when driving in new areas, as someone who made a mistake and simply didn’t realize they were in the wrong lane. Another driver, for whatever reason, might perceive this as a person paying little attention and may think they are on the phone or texting. Any of these or none of these might be the reality of the situation but it is our perception due to past experiences.

Most times our own perceptions are relatively harmless and only affect a moment in time. However our perceptions also affect the choices we make. There are times when we get into situations or circumstances that are unpleasant, dangerous, unhealthy, or otherwise bad for us. When this becomes a pattern of behaviour one might begin to feel hopeless or wonder why is it always them.

These are the moments when it is time to take a deeper look into ourselves, our thought patterns, and our developed perceptions about life. Sometimes it is as simple as opening our minds to other possibilities. Other times it can be as difficult as admitting that we have gotten in to a pattern of behaviour and making that frightening leap into the conscious choice of changing that pattern the next time it arrises.

I, for instance, continuously have allowed people to move in with me in the past. I have done this because I want to help so badly and I offer what I have to try to do so. Many times, actually more times than not, this has put me in financial peril and often caused severe health issues. I have recognized this pattern and I’m working to change my own perception about what “help” means in order to better serve my own life. I’m working on changing the perception that I am a horrible person if I say no or offer some alternative to what is being asked. This is by no means easy but it is necessary.

Our lives shape our perceptions and our perceptions shape our lives. This is natural. It is when we become aware of this cycle that we can begin to create change within our own lives. It is awareness that allows us to see our choices and often to make better ones.

Remember that the reality you perceive might not be the reality that another perceives. Keep an open mind. Remain aware of your own choices. These small things can help you along a happier and healthier path as you walk along this crazy journey of life.