Mr. Achievement - Stanley F. Bronstein - Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

Law #72

Position Yourself To Be Perceptive

There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception. (Aldous Huxley)

There is no truth. There is only perception. (Gustave Flaubert)

Some Definitions

Things - Matters; affairs. A fact, circumstance, or state of affairs. An action, deed, event, or performance.

Known - To perceive or understand as fact or truth; to apprehend clearly and with certainty. To be cognizant or aware of.

Unknown - Not known; not within the range of one’s knowledge, experience, or understanding; strange; unfamiliar. Not discovered, explored, identified, or ascertained.

Between - In the space separating. In the intervening space or time.

Door(s) - Any gateway marking an entrance or exit from one place or state to another.

Perception - The act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding. Immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological, or aesthetic qualities; insight; intuition; discernment.

Truth - Conformity with fact or reality. A verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like. An obvious or accepted fact.

Source: Dictionary.com

Quote #1 - Aldous Huxley

This quote is fairly easy to understand, on its face. Basically, there are matters that are known to us and matters that are unknown to us. Those are the “black and white” areas of our lives. Either we know something or we don’t.

BUT THEN, what about the gray areas? The spaces “in between”. Those are where our perception comes in. Those gray areas tend to be whatever our mind; our thoughts; our intuition; or discernment decides they are.

In other words, the gray areas are up to us.

Quote #2 - Gustave Flaubert

This one is even simpler. Gustave Flaubert suggests that there is no such thing as truth. He suggests there isn’t even a “black”, or a “white”. He suggests that everything is gray, and it’s up to us to decide what that gray area is.

Perception Is Everything

One of my close friends, Judith Turney at Perceptivity.net always says:

Perception is everything.

That’s a real short statement that I believe says it all.

Assuming she’s right and perception is everything, then how we perceive things is obviously the key.

How Should We Perceive Things?

If it’s up to us, then how should be perceive things?

I say we should perceive things with a positive, optimistic outlook.

In other words, we should apply ALL of the other Laws of Positioning to help us create a positive, optimistic perception of the events and happenings around us.

For example:

Negative outlook - Gas is expensive; food is expensive.

Positive outlook - This is a holiday weekend (at least in the United States) and our family is going to spend time together this week. We’re going to stay home so that we don’t have to use gas. We’re going to cook at home, have fun and save money too. Because of the expensive gas and food prices, we’re going to have a lovely, fun weekend where we stay home and relax. Fewer people will be on the road, so traffic will be better and safer. What a lovely weekend it’s going to be.

Can you see the difference?

How Do We Control Our Perception?

There are two issues here:

How do you perceive things?

How do others perceive things (including you)?

Believe it or not, you can influence BOTH of these perceptions. The way to do that is by noticing. By being aware. By being perceptive.

The very act of noticing allows us to change the way we act. If we take the time to notice what is going on in our lives, we can react to it, and because we know what is going on in our lives, we can even to a large extent, control we WAY we react to it.  For example, if you find that you get frustrated while sitting in traffic jams, come up with a relaxing, different activity you can do safely in the car while stuck in those traffic jams.

The very act of noticing others allows you to influence their perceptions of you. Likewise, if we take the time to notice what is going on in other people’s lives (i.e. - their perceptions), we can, to some extent, control the way they perceive us.  For example, if you want someone to perceive you as a sharp business man, then wear a sharp looking suit.  Just the way you dressed influences their perception of you.

In short, perception is all about noticing what’s going on around you.

The more you notice, the more you will be able to influence your surroundings; the more you will influence the way you perceive things; the more you will be able to influence the way others perceive you and the events around you.

Some Of The Laws Of Positioning That Are Extremely Relevant To Perception

Law #12 - Position Yourself To Have Common Sense

Law #14 - Position Yourself To Be Conscious

Law #21 - Position Yourself To Be Curious

Law #28 - Position Yourself To Be Empathic

Law #52 - Position Yourself To Be Imaginative

Law #61 - Position Yourself To Be A Listener

Law #68 - Position Yourself To Be Optimistic