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“Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
– Viktor Frankl
A client was speaking about someone we both knew and they were telling me how ungenerous the person was in their experience. They thought they were mean and very selfish.
I could see why they thought that but I proceeded to tell them that the person in my experience had a very generous and kind side.
Which one of us was right?
Perhaps both of us and perhaps neither of us – because our perception was determining our experience.
But the difference in our perception determined our reaction and inter-actions with this person.
A few years later, the same client told me that their perception of the person had changed because they had seen a different side to the person, a ‘better’ one.
The big challenge with perception is that nobody thinks they have one – they just think they’re looking at reality. “You might have a perception but I don’t” 😉
The truth is we all have perceptions and they shape our experience of reality. Which means they impact on our results in all areas.
Here’s a challenge for the week ahead:
For example, you could be thinking of it as:
A. A slow, scary crawl through enemy lines i.e. hassle, boring, uneventful.
or
B. As an opportunity to create, to overcome challenges, to strive and to thrive.
If we’re making our perceptions up, why not pick ones that serve the best for us in all areas? Why not choose to see the best in the people around us?
At the very least, surely we can pause in that ‘space’ Viktor Frankl mentions, and consider our ‘response’?
Best,
Shane
New Podcast Episode: In the latest Inner Edge episode, I explore the nature of ideas and clarity and discuss two alternative ways of getting more of them. Listen on my website here or on all major podcasting platforms.
