How To Change The Way We See Things
Perception is not always reality.
To change our habits and be more effective, we must do things differently. And to do things differently, we must see things differently. And to see things differently, we must change our perception of the way we see things.
One of my former classmates was a bona fide bully. He was mean to virtually everyone and created tension in the entire class. Everyone seemed to walk on egg shells around him, lest he lash out. It was a relief when he was eventually expelled. At the time, our perception was that he was just a little a**h***.
Years later, it came out that his father was a raging alcoholic, which meant his home life must have been awful. I sometimes wonder if we had known that during our school years if it would have changed our perception of him. Might it have helped us show more understanding and compassion for his situation?
These paradigm shifts happen frequently in our lives. We observe someone’s behavior and immediately think we know the whole story. Then, in light of additional information, our perception of the situation completely changes.
“Wow, that store clerk was so rude,” we might say. Perhaps that clerk really is rude. Or, maybe he/she has a sick child at home with a high fever and no one would take their shift…
