PERCEPTION - HAVING A LEVERAGE ON YOUR HIDDEN STRENGTHS

Perception, it affects the way we view everything around us, but how does it actually work? What makes us see things differently from others? How does perception affect our behavioral processes? Relating perception to our everyday life might be easier than one might think, the way we view the world and everything around us has a direct effect on our thoughts, actions, and behavior. It helps us relate things to one another, and be able to recognize situations, objects, and patterns. Our self-perceptions are often instilled in us before we have a say in them. Learning to change how we see ourselves helps us find our hidden strengths, or improve weaknesses we didn't know we had, to get along better in life. Often, we have self-perception problems because our emotions or misconceptions lead us to false conclusions. Acknowledging your strengths can give you the courage to assert yourself even when you don't feel like you deserve to, but here's how to adjust when your perception doesn't line up with your reality. Step One: Perform a Self-Assessment The first step in fixing your perception of yourself is to identify how you see yourself. One way to get started is a technique from cognitive behavioral therapy (or CBT) programs. Psych Central recommends writing ten of your strengths on one side of a paper, and ten weaknesses on the other. This exercise forces you to take an honest look at yourself. Step Two: Seek Outside Input (and Listen to It) Outside input has the ability to either validate or negate how we perceive ourselves. If you think you're not that great of a singer, but the crowd at karaoke disagrees, you might start to change your opinion. For that reason, if you really want to adjust your self perception, seeking outside input is absolutely necessary. Step 3: Challenge Yourself and Step Outside Your Comfort Zone Of course, feedback from others is only one way to find out what you're capable of. There is a faster, more effective way, too: doing it. Having a realistic approach to what you can do, coupled with some optimism that things could work out alright, can be a key to making it happen. Step 4: Emulate the Habits of Others How you perceive yourself may affect how you behave, but the relationship also works in reverse. We've discussed before how something simple like faking powerful body language can help you feel more confident. This concept works fairly broadly. If you think you're too cynical, try being intentionally optimistic on social media. If you start deliberately hunting for the good in something, you may find it. Our perceptions of ourselves will probably never be perfect (and a little self-delusion can sometimes help). However, many of us go years without fulfilling our potential or trying new things because we simply don't perceive ourselves as able. Or worse, we live with flaws because it never occurs to us that they're problematic. If you don't think you can go after your dream job, you're worried you can't attract that person you're really into, or you simply lack confidence, the problem might not be your situation, but just your perception. Your ideas about yourself determine the course of your life, so don't leave them to chance. By: Sidiqah Uthman Cc: lifehacker.com