My $137 Life Lesson

David Salib
Sep 8, 2018 · 2 min read

The perception of reality is ultimately more important than reality itself.


After coming back to Canada from living in the US for a year, I had a few $1 US bills left in my wallet.

For about 3 months, every time I opened my wallet, I saw those few US dollars. One day, I wanted to slim down my wallet; removing some unused cards and cash. As I removed the cash, I realized I wasn’t carrying a few dollar bills — I had $137.

For 3 months, I treated my wallet as if it had a few cards and few dollar bills. If I had lost my wallet, I wouldn’t have worried about losing a few dollars. I didn’t take appropriate precaution with my wallet equal to the fact that I had $100+ in cash.

The point is, I operated based on my belief, not based on reality.


By definition, there will always be a true reality that exists, however your perception of said reality will be the bigger influence on how you operate within it.

In this small, rather inconsequential, example, it was my belief about how much money was in my wallet that dictated how I operated with it. In life it can be so many other things:


Inaccurate belief about ourselves can lead us to not accomplish things we are capable of.

Inaccurate belief about our relationships can hinder them from reaching their full potential.

Inaccurate belief about a system; or constraints that we have, can lead us to not see the full picture.


In any of these cases, there is always a truth that we must discover in order to ensure our actions are accurate to reality. In other words, always know if you have $1 or $137 in your wallet, it can make a big difference.

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