This might sound radical, but did you know that none of us live in the same world? That’s because we actually live inside our own heads. Everything we see, hear, and feel is interpreted through a filter called our mind. So essentially we take in a scene through our senses and then our mind interprets the images/words/sensations according to our past which is comprised of all our experiences, upbringing, schooling, societal conditioning, religious/spiritual beliefs and the list goes on. The issue is that our interpretations are literally made up stories that we relate to as reality. Yet if you think about it, it is almost impossible to witness objective reality as it is when it goes through such a filter!
Here is an example: This evening, I watched a woman with a cast on her foot crossing the road on a pedestrian red light. A car beeped at her and she glared at the driver with a death stare. In the woman’s world, she didn’t see that light had gone red and decided the driver was impatient and rude for not being considerate of her sore foot. In the driver’s world, the woman wasn’t paying attention and crossed on a red, putting herself in harms way! Start paying attention yourself… a passerby not returning your smile, a friend not texting back immediately, a colleague being short with you. Watch how you immediately make a judgement/assessment/opinion and then relate to it as the truth.
The good news is that we can learn to catch the filter in operation and stop it in its tracks. We are then able to question/probe/challenge the interpretation by checking its validity with the other person. Of course, this requires some vulnerability on our part and a willingness to have gotten it wrong. Yet in doing so, we literally lift the veil from over our eyes and wake up to a whole new world in the process. Conversations become unrecognisable, possibilities become limitless and life itself transforms. Explore these concepts and techniques in our Centred Edge Peak Performance Program starting 23rd August.
