The above is an important question simply because perception influences so much in our lives.
It is well worth thinking about because the honest answer is that we do influence our own mood and we do have influence over how and what we think. Very often it is our perception of a situation in a certain situation that will than determine our onward thinking and mood. Our job is to figure out whether or not our perception of the situation is a balanced and valid view or not.
For example I may feel that someone has acted badly. My perception might be that they should have acted differently in a particular situation, not as they did. Perhaps I would not have done it that way. My perception is that they should have been more respectful to me, but they were not. I perceive their actions to be unacceptable to me and that I am right and they are wrong. This is how I see it. I see it through my own eyes only and don’t bother to get an explanation. I am angry, upset and unhappy. I am not interested in their perception, even though it could be valid.
The problem with the above is that our perception of an event, a situation, or person is just that, our perception; it is the way we see and view things. It does not necessarily mean we are correct in our thinking. We might be, but not always. Our perception will be based on many factors, from life, our experience, our influences and the people around us.
What is essential to learn is that our perception may not be the only valid way to view life or a situation. When it comes to our perception in terms of being negative, we can harm ourselves psychologically and emotionally. If we perceive life in a negative way and not in a balanced way we could be in trouble because perception is just that, perception.
Getting back to the example; Only if and when I look and question what the other person’s perception of the situation is do I have a hope of questioning my own perception which perhaps I got wrong. If I understand the other person’s point of view (or their perception) my own perception might change. I might see things in a more positive or effective way, which would be worth it. If my thinking style is such that my negative perception is always right and I don’t need to challenge it, then I will be in trouble for sure.
Let’s say for arguments sake that the person had very good reason to behave as they did towards me. Perhaps they feel I had been rude or not pleasant towards them (without realizing) they might be justified in their behaviour towards me. Their perception might well be that I am a rude person and I am not worth bothering with. Fair enough. If I understand and begin to see it through their eyes I might learn a precious lesson. I might learn to look from another point of view before coming to negative and damaging conclusions. It also might be far healthier for me to open up these channels of thinking.
There is no doubt that it is up to us to take responsibility for the way we think, our emotions and behaviours. One way to achieve this is to always listen to another person’s perception of a situation, whether this is a view related to a situation or an idea. Our own perception could perhaps be wrong, and if so it is also up to us to do whatever we can to correct it the moment we realize there is a flaw in our thinking.
It is easy to believe we have no part to play in our mental or emotional state, but that is not strictly true. It is essential to look into ourselves and discover that actually we play a much bigger part that we first imagined. Perception plays a gigantic part in all this because it determines healthy or unhealthy thinking patterns, it definitely influences our mood and therefore our behaviour.
Getting it right is key here because it affects so many parts of our lives that we need to be very influential in ensuring that our own perception is not based on our conditioning, our old belief systems, or mistaken negative ideas we may hold as sacred.
Testing our perceptions is the only way to even begin getting it right, never taking for granted that our perception is the only one that is valid because this is the biggest mistake we can make.
It is true because of the following:
- The way we think (negatively or not) influences everything
- The way we view the world (negatively or not) is created by our perception
- The way we view ourselves is our perception of ourselves
- Also, the meanings we give and attach to words, situations and experiences
- Our perception of the life around us is created by us
- The way we behave is created by us and our perception of situations
- Making assumptions before checking is arrogant
- Making judgments before checking is not intelligent
Having said all the above, it is all too easy to blame it all on the externals. It is more difficult to take a good long look at ourselves to see where we might be going wrong. Our perception will undoubtedly influence all of the above and how we ultimately feel, just as the meanings we attach to situations will also heavily influence matters.
It is easy to make a start in bringing about significant change by making a start and looking far more closely at our part in any current situation. If our perception is in question, we must be humble enough to change it….
At least this is a good place to start….