Part 02 Action: Your Perceptions Are Lying To You
Your thoughts are lying to you.... find out how below!
Did you miss the first two lessons and action items? Check them out below.
"Perception does not define who we are, but it does define where we are limited and where we are not yet free."
-Georgi Y. Johnson
Last week, I got into a public argument.
Underneath the surface, I had a lot going on, turning the normal conversation into a trigger one. In the process, I got way more emotional and passionate than I intended.
It wasn't my best moment.
In fact, I quickly felt embarrassed, which kicked on my survival response to patch up that perception. I felt like crawling in a hole. When I couldn't, I did the next most human thing. I attempted to fix others' perceptions of me by making my perception right.
I started by texting a friend, telling her only my perception of what happened. Of course, this left her with no option but to side with me. It wasn't her fault. It was strictly mine, as I wouldn't say deliberately only told one side of the story, but it was the only side I knew to tell.
Unfortunately, being so concerned with your own perceptions becomes a massive problem. It distracts you from what you can do to change as you attempt to patch holes that never really fix the problem, mostly because your perceptions are rarely an accurate picture of reality.
In a way, your perception is a distorted image of reality your body has made true. Out of this, it shifts your entire biology to respond accordingly.
That's why we must talk about perceptions. If you want to change and live well, you must shift your perception. When you can change your perception, you change your story and the outcome you experience.
Likewise, you change your biology.
Your perceptions change your biology.
Remember, safety is of the utmost importance to your existence. It's also what controls your biology and, likewise, your mind and soul.
Understanding this helps you see that even though you think your perceptions are best and healthiest, they're not always working for you.
In fact, much of what you perceive could be the reason you can't change.
For example, perceiving yourself as fat doesn't change that reality. It only accentuates it through behaviors that reinforce that perception. It leads to actions that support body fat, eventually leading to your conditioned way of life.
As Carl Jung has stated:
"Life is about perspective. Sometimes, we become conditioned to look at things in certain ways, but if we can change our perspective, we can change our whole outlook on life and begin experiencing things differently."
Changing your perception is a requirement for living healthily. But that also means you must take the first and perhaps most challenging step: admitting that what you've perceived may not be true.