Episode 5: The Power of Perception

In this episode, I look into the impacts of perception and how the perception of other's really impacts our lives. 
There is an extra video in this episode which can be found at the following location:
https://youtu.be/1iI2Z46T_PQ?si=NG7tTef72vgDXgwm
CHANNEL: Preston Smiles

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome back to this week's episode of Unapologetically Imperfect. I would like to begin by acknowledging the Dark People, the traditional custodians of the land on which this podcast is recorded. I pay respect to elders past, present, and emerging, and extend that respect to any other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening along or watching. Welcome back. We are up to episode five. I can't believe I've got this far. I do apologize for the delay. I have been held up a little bit, but we're back on track and we're going to get these things back out weekly. Thank you to everyone who's been tuning in so far. I greatly appreciate it. And I really hope that you're finding some encouragement in what I'm sharing. So it's riddle time again. I shape your world, but I have no form. I change with mood, with light with norm. Two people see me yet disagree. What am I that blinds reality? If you're wondering why I keep looking across, I've got my notes on my iPad, so just so I don't get lost and I don't burble. Anyway, I'm gonna come back to answer that soon. But in the meantime, how we see the world and the things that happen to us can have both a very positive or a very negative impact. But not only on us, but also on the people around us. For example, imagine an alien comes to Earth but has no vision. This alien asks you to describe the sky and the world around you. How would you answer it? You could answer in a simple way the sky's blue, grass is green, but you might elaborate a bit more, but without being specific. I was thinking about this earlier. This is possibly how I would answer it. So here on Earth, people come in different colors, heights, and shapes. They live in different ways. Some rely on men, some live off the land. The land is endless, but broken up with streaks of blue. The sky is multicolored, displaying different feelings. There are buildings that reach high into the sky and touch the clouds. The roads are big and the cars vary from small to large. Electricity runs through the sheet streets and lights the way at night. Pretty descriptive, right? Helps being a school teacher. But the alien takes this information and relays it in a simple way back to their own. Let's see how it translates. Earthlings are different-sized rainbows who live in ways where they catch their food. The land is like a maze, no set direction. These earthlings like color. Not only are they rainbow, so are their skies. Very weird. They must blend in. The skies have faces to show how they feel, and their buildings have hands and fingers to touch the clouds. Kinda a weird and skewed idea of Earth, right? But the aliens' description is their perception of what has been said and what they have heard, how they've interpreted. I've titled this episode The Power of Perception. I want to explore the way we see things and how this shapes who we are and the world that we live in. In case you didn't get it, the answer for the above riddle is simply perception. A very basic definition of perception is the mind's way of interpreting and giving meaning to what we sense. We have five senses as humans taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing. Our perception relies on those senses. In short, it's basically how we translate what we see and what we hear around us. Sometimes what we perceive, or what others perceive of us, can be completely accurate, partially accurate, or absolutely nowhere near accurate. I've never been a small person, as I've mentioned before. And some perceptions that people have had about me over the years include some things like this. I'm lazy. I eat a lot of food. I always want chocolate. Not completely untrue. I'm loud. I'm boisterous. I'm stupid. I won't amount to much. I'm a mistake. I'll always be fat. I'll always be alone. And I'm too young to do anything. Perceptions. Some are accurate, but some are not. For the record, yes, I do like chocolate, but it's not something I want twenty-four-seven all the time. For many, many years I've let the perceptions of others shape me and who I am. As we all do. And naturally we do it to a degree. But I've let it get a little too far in the past. The perception that I'm always eating and just want chocolate is actually not true. I like food, yes. Who doesn't? And I have a very sweet tooth, so I do love my chocolate. I love my sweet stuff. But I eat small portions throughout the day because if I don't, I feel sick. I'm not forever eating, even though it may seem like it. The comments have always been made, oh shell finish that, shall I eat that? You know, the association with food has actually been quite negative for me in more ways than one. And this perception from some of my closest friends has actually hurt and left some scars. I I had to laugh recently. I was thinking back from a few years ago, and someone said to me the first time they ever met me, they're like, oh, you seem like the person that would speak their mind if someone upset you. Yeah, I hate to tell you this, but I actually do the opposite. If someone has a goal at me for any reason, if someone says something to me that upsets me, I generally start to retreat and I won't say anything. I mean, really. When you grow up not being allowed to show any emotion, basically have to be abusable and totally afraid of one of the adults who you should feel safe around, it's very, very easy to lose your voice. There were many times as a kid I could have spoken up, but I actually couldn't because I felt trapped. I have learned just to cop things I don't agree with or others' ideas and opinions of me. That person that made that comment about I'd, you know, I would arc up if someone had a girl, I'd be like, okay, I'd let it go. Because it's not me. And if you really get to know me, I don't do confrontation. And those of you who I have had confrontation with before, some of my closest friends, give me a bit, I calm down and we sort things out. Now this perception, as I said, is very inaccurate. Okay. However, there is a slight exception. If you hurt my family or my friends, then I go into a super protective mode. All right. I don't know if you've ever heard the term mama bear or mama bear comes out and mama bear gets very, very protective. And some people can definitely equate to that. But I don't fight with my words, but I will stand and help whatever way I can. But speak up, that's pretty rare for me, if ever. So this perception that I'm this person who's gonna go out and have a full-on like argument with someone if I disagree, it is so far from the truth. It is so far from the truth. See, the perceptions, right? They're not always accurate. But they unfortunately really do shape us and our world. If we think back to the alien story, the perception he took of Earth is very different to what I meant if I was actually explaining it for real. Here are some common perceptions that we deal with every day. How we see the world, how we see ourselves, how others see ourselves, and how others see the world. Fairly common, fairly normal. Perceptions and the way we perceive things can either be positive or negative, and it's really important that we remember the definition of the term, how our brain translates the world around us. How I translate things is gonna be very different to how each and every one of you translates things. I was thinking about this when I was writing my notes, and I decided that I needed an analogy. Okay. Unfortunately, I'm a very visual person. I am a visual thinker. Any of my close friends can attest to that, definitely. But I'm a very visual person. And so I needed an analogy. And I apologize right now if you're not into cars or anything, but this is the best analogy I could come up with. Our brain is like the engine of a car. If you put bad oil in the car, it'll still run, but it's not gonna run great. If you put fully synthetic, super clean oil in and a clean oil filter, it's gonna pump cleanness through the engine, making it run better. And if, of course, you don't put any oil in, well, that's gonna cause some extensive damage. And ultimately, it costs a butt ton of money because it usually means you've blown your engine and you're gonna need a whole new engine. Kind of a costly expect. Our brains are same. If we fill our brain with lots of negative perceptions, whether our own or those of others, sooner or later it's actually gonna cause damage. And then that damage can start to affect those around us as well. The perceptions people have of me, they can be right or wrong. Sorry, itchy face. The perceptions people have of me can be right or wrong. But at the end of the day, the most important perception that I can have is what I think of me. How do I see the world and how do I see me? Definitely something I've struggled with in my life. I've let other people's perceptions, mostly negative, influence me. I'm no good. I can't do that. No, I can't do that. I suck. I'm too young. I'm too young to make a difference. Yeah, yeah, I I I like food, so I'm never gonna lose weight. Right? All sorts of really and honestly quite crappy perceptions that have shaped me. It's only been probably in the last 12 to 18 months, maybe a little bit longer, that I have really started to not ignore, but I'm starting to re-train my brain. I'm starting to go, you know what? My perception of me has been shaped by everyone else for so long. That now it's time for me to start shaping my perceptions. I've lost sight of me because of things people have said about me. Or I scrint and I scrunch my face because the perceptions I've made about me are just as bad. So I want to show you a quick video about perceptions, and I'm hoping that it just resonates. All right. Remember, a perception is how we interpret the world around us. There's a saying that goes around a bit that says broken crayons still color. And I don't think that could be any closer to the truth. A broken crayon will still colour. All right, we're all a little bit broken. But the perceptions that people put on us and we put on ourselves have a lasting impact. So let's quickly watch this video and then we'll come back and yeah, we'll go from there.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

The power of perception. You see, how you perceive a thing determines how you receive a thing. And how you receive determines on whether you'll receive again. You see, the problem isn't the problem. Your attitude, your philosophy is the problem. You see, some people spend most of their time talking about and worshiping the problem that they do on the solution. But what you focus on, you grant reality into your life. You see, Tammy and Susie drive into the same parking lot every Monday through Friday and go to the same job, but Susie is upset about the health benefits, about the air conditioning, about the politics in the office, while Tammy is excited that she gets to have a job, that she gets to pay her bills, that she gets to take her kids to Disneyland with the bonus that she gets every four months. You see, what Susie is upset about, Tammy is grateful for. But your outlook determines your outcome. And how you receive a thing determines whether you receive it again. So six months later, Susie was let go. Or Tammy was promoted. You see, a lot of people talk about, and you guys get this, if you if you get this, it will change your life forever. A lot of people talk about being single, and they have the perception and the belief that all the good ones are taken. Somebody else with a different perspective has the belief and they come from wow. Look at all this time I have to build myself up before my one comes. How you receive a thing determines on whether you receive it again. And what you focus on expands, you grant it, you put it in your reality. So if you're perceiving and receiving negativity, then that's exactly what you're gonna get in your life. Okay, everything. You see, some people see the word impossible, while others see I'm possible. And what I'm challenging you to do is to step into that space. Step into the space of I'm possible, everything is possible. Because it is. You see, the power of perception will change your entire life. You can either be in heaven or hell, right where you are standing based on what you're perceiving. And I challenge you right now, today, to take another look at all of the stuff you've been complaining about. Take another look. Reframe and take another look at the bills that you're so upset about because you get to pay them. You have the money to pay your bills, but yet you're upset about them. You created everything in your reality. And if you did, that means you get to be grateful for it. The only way to get more is to be more. And the only way to be more is to become grateful for everything that is. Guys, I am super grateful for you. It has been a blessing having you on this journey with me. If you are new to the tribe, go ahead and click subscribe. If you're not, I love you, and go ahead and share this video. I am, we are, hashtag loves voice is going down in a beautiful major way.

SPEAKER_00 18:02

Wow, so the power of perception. With this, I want to leave you with the challenge. And the challenge for this episode is this. How are other people's perceptions of you and your world impacting you negatively? Let me say it again. How are other people's perceptions of you impacting you negatively? Powerful stuff. The second part of the challenge is what steps can you take today to create and reinforce positive perceptions about yourself? Because I hate to say it, but we're all human, and I guarantee we've all been pretty nasty on ourselves at times. I know I certainly have. So, what steps can you take to create and reinforce positive perceptions about you? All right. It's time to stop listening to the garbage that gets thrown at you. It's time to shut down the voices. And it's time to realize your true worth and value. And remember, you know you best, not anyone else. Even those closest to you do not know you as well as you do. So it's time to reshape your perceptions of you and become unapologetically imperfect because it is the best way to be. Until next time, catch you later.