One thing I am beginning to realise is
that perception drives everything in life. I am beginning to realise that all
my negative states are the results of perception, or judgement of what is
taking place in my life. Essentially it is all according to story, or the ego.
Most of the perceptions we make are based on ego, our stories of what has
happened in the past.
This realisation has come due to an
effort on my part to be more aware and conscious of what is taking place in my
life. It is apparent that life is just perception; it is the observer perceiving
the observed. We as human beings are both the observer and the observed of what
we experience. Accordingly all of life is feedback of us, allowing us to see where
we are at, ultimately giving us never ending opportunities to change, grow and
essentially progress. In reality the universe and life is organised to cater to
our progress, it is designed to lead us upward and forward towards realising
our full potential.
I have had opportunities this week to
descend into old, repetitive negative states but I have chosen not too. And how
did I get to that point of choice? First I was aware and secondly I changed my
perception. If I was not aware, fully conscious, I would not have been able to
change my perception. Why? Because I would have been consumed in the
perception, the perception and I would have been one, not separate. Only by
being conscious can you separate yourself from the perception you are making. This
is why agency or the ability to choose is essential in the grand scheme of
things. Everything in our lives is designed to move us closer to choice,
whether we see it that way or not.
How many people can actually say they
are conscious in their lives? How many people are actually aware of the
perceptions they are making when they make them? How many people can separate their
perception from themselves? The truth is most people run on auto pilot for the
majority of their lives, totally unaware of the perceptions they are making on
a moment by moment basis. Generally the ones that say they are the most
conscious are the ones who are the most unconscious. People that are truly
conscious do not need to make such assertions as they operate from a state of
awareness, fully aware of their inner and outer conditions.
In my own life, most of my negative
states in the past are the results of self-judgement, the perception of some
action I have or haven’t performed according to some expectation. Normally the
expectation is according to our story, what has happened in the past or what we
have seen others do in the past. Because we have seen a certain action
performed in such a way we expect ourselves to do it the same way or even
better. We pick up these expectations throughout our lives, and then compare
ourselves to them as we go about day to day lives. Then when we don’t live up
to these expectations, we get upset to the point of beating ourselves up both
within and without. Do you see the futility in this?
First of all, the expectation has been
formed from a perception, a perception based on our story at that point in
time. Essentially it is now a perception of a perception. With each layer of
perception we get further and further from reality, how things really are. You
see there are two sides to every experience, what really happens and our
perception of what happens. In NLP this is described by the phrase, “the map is
not the territory”, meaning that we do not experience the actual territory, we
experience the territory only according to the map we are using. Our map is our
perceptions, these perceptions work according to our filters. The filters are
beliefs, values, memory, language etc. based mainly off the past.
If left on auto pilot then this becomes
a vicious cycle of perception creating perception creating perception. A person
then becomes at effect of their reality, as from their unconscious perspective
everything in life outside of them is just “happening” to them. Being
unconscious, on autopilot, is the basis of the victim mentality. The victim
mentality is manifested by those who believe life isn’t fair and that life just
happens to them being outside of their control. This again is all according to
perception. The map has become the territory to these people, they believe what
they experience is what is actually happening. In reality, this couldn’t be
further from the truth.
The reality is we experience life as we
are, not as it really is. We experience the territory, what really is, only according
to our maps, which are our filters and the ego. The ego and the filters work
hand in hand feeding off each other in a repetitive cycle. This is what is
referred to as the story. Our story is what has happened to us in the past. It
is the “I’m not good at dancing because when I was 10 I tripped up during dance
practice at school”. It is the “No one likes me because I am fat and people
tease me”. It is the “The world is an evil place because of all the wars, rapes
and murders that I see on the news.” It is the “I don’t believe in marriage
because all my friends are divorced and are bitter as a result.”
This is all “story” and is based on
perception. Every single person is influenced by their own “story”; this is why
we don’t see life as it really is; we only see things according to our “story”,
our perceptions based off the past. Most people do not live in the moment, they
live unconsciously in the past; letting the past dictate what they experience.
This is why people repeat the same experiences over and over again. This is the
meaning of the map is not the territory, but unfortunately most people live
their lives believing the map is the territory. They don’t realise their entire
life is created by and based on perception. It is all perception; it is all the
way we experience the territory via our individual map.
It is only possible to see the map for
what it is when you are aware, when you are operating outside of your “story”.
When you are aware and in the moment, you are not operating according to your
filters and ego. Being aware allows you to see the perceptions you are making,
and gives you the ‘choice’ to change that perception if you so choose. By
changing your perception you change the territory as you are using a different
map. Change the map and you change the territory. The truth is you are the map
and the territory; you use your own map to create your own territory. If people
really understood this then most of the so called problems on the planet would
disappear almost instantly.
So the question is when will you choose
to be aware? When will you choose to be conscious of your perceptions? When
will you choose to use a different map to see the territory for what it really
is? The choice really is yours, no one else can make it for you, no one else
can perceive for you. You make your own perceptions, and your life is a result
of those perceptions. Change your perceptions and you change your life. In
order to change your perceptions you need to be conscious, be aware of your
thoughts and emotions and what is going on inside of you. To remain on
autopilot is to remain trapped in the perception. Only by being conscious can
you separate yourself from your perception. You are in control of your life;
you are your map. Change the map, change the territory; change your perception,
change your life.
