This article highlights why the world is the way it is at the moment, and what you can do about it…
People represent the world internally to create their own personal and subjective realities. We respond mainly to our internal experience (map of reality), not to the external reality itself.
But, the map is not the territory!
How we experience and define reality is based on our neurological filters. These filters are programmed in our mind as a result of our cultural and educational upbringing as well as our significant life experiences. Our personal filters (like beliefs and values) determine how our mind perceives all our experiences. These unconscious perceptions influence our mental and emotional state – leading to related behaviours.
How we represent things in our mind are our perceptions. These perceptions may or may not be accurate. In any case, they determine how we experience each moment, and therefore lay the foundation for our experience of reality in the future too.
Therefore everything we do is motivated by a perception of what we think is required in order to achieve a desired result.
When large groups share the same perception (although two perceptions are never identical) then powerful energy masses are created, which usually results in an intense expression of the collective belief. This is highly noticeable at religious and political rallies, for example. In such circumstances the individual’s own map of reality can be influenced by the overwhelming group dynamic, leading to decisions (and a lifestyle) that may not stem from that individuals authentic self.
The authentic self perception is one that mindfully observes how thoughts and emotions arise in one’s consciousness without being as controlled by them. This invites an element of objectivity into our subjective experience of reality. It frees up choice and allows for greater behavioural flexibility and more joy.
NLP and Authentic Self Empowerment processes equip you to gain control of your mind through enabling you to be more consciously aware of how your perceptions create your experience of each moment. NLP and ASE are effective at empowering people to change the perceptions that cause unwanted feelings and behaviours.
Having the choice about how to perceive your present reality changes your experience of it. And having more choices available to you begins by choosing to perceive each experience in a way that frees your thinking to explore different points of view. So, how else can you look at your situation, and how else, and how else?… In this way your map of reality expands.
The best a person can ever be in our presence is a match to our internal representation of them. The picture in our mind that we hold of another determines our attitude and behaviour toward them. Therefore we experience their response to our mental picture of them. When we change our perceptions of people and things, we begin to see changes in them. In other words when we make a change within ourselves the world outside us changes accordingly.
Group perceptions (like religions and political persuasions) can begin to transform into more inclusive and compassionate dynamics when the individuals in those spheres of influence start to hold an authentic self perception. This can be initiated by the steadfast will of one person. You!
Opening up to the possibility of change, makes change possible. Both beauty as well as ugly are in the eye of the beholder. Which will you choose?
Remember, when you change your internal map of reality, you change your external experience of reality too. And when you change your experience of reality, the world changes. That’s how valuable you are!
Written by Jevon Dangeli – NLP Trainer & Coach
