This guest post on perception is written by Dawan Ejomah. To write an article for our website, please see our write-for-us guideline

Have you ever considered perception as a great determinant of reality?

Have you ever looked into an issue from more than one perspectives and arrived at similar conclusions or had the same outlook of it? Answering this question in the affirmative is very much unlikely. If you have changed the way you looked at something and you have realized a switch from your understanding of it to what appeared as a new reality of it, you have experienced a change in your perception.

The issue of perception requires constant revisiting and experimentation because there lies the opportunity for continuous and fruitful life renewal.

The story of a young cub which got separated at a tender age and ended up co-habiting a herd of goats, imbibing their herbivorous way of life will be instructive for us to clearly understand what is meant by perception in this piece of writing.

One day a male lion came across an herd of goats and it was astounding for the lion to find a cub among meek goats, docilely eating grass. The lion tried unsuccessfully to convince the cub that it was not and should not be a member of the herd. As the last attempt of the persuasion efforts, the lion took the cub to a river bank, and there, looking at its own reflection in the water the cub finally realized the fact that a cub, truly, couldn’t belong to an herd of goats.

The reality seen of itself by the cub immediately changed. Its perception changed. Whereas, the practice of change of perception is one of the capabilities humanly possible to do consciously and purposely for attaining positive life experiences, many people take this life-changing opportunity for granted.

• What is your perception of life?
• How do you see yourself?
• What perception do you have of being a citizen of your country?
• How is your perception of situations around you?
• Are you a pessimist or an optimist?
• Do you see that things becoming better?
• Do you you have the perception that there is a solution to every problem?
• Are you constantly plagued by feelings of negativity?
• Do you feel that nothing good can come out of your country?
• Is your perception showing that despite your best efforts you are destined for failure?
• Have you given up on yourself?
• Have you passed an unfair judgment on yourself and your community based on unchanging perception?
• Have you given yourself an “F” even before you stepped into the exam hall?

Have you ever questioned your perception of things to see the B-side?

If you have a cup filled half-way with water before, you can either see the cup as half full or half empty, it depends on you; your perception. According to Steve Maraboli, the truth is that we always define events in the manner which validates our agreement with reality.

What we call nonsense is that which does not fit into the prearranged patterns and which we have superimposed on reality. Nonsense is nonsense only when we have not yet found that point of view from which it makes sense – Gary Zukav

Look at the picture above.  What is the reality of your perception based on the picture? A flower vase? Or two people facing each other?  If you are able to see the two, good of you.  It demonstrates how effectively you can change your perception of things.

Take note of this fact freshly that there are no barrier to expected reality except what we perceive as barriers and that is why we need to change our perception to experience desired realities. To change ourselves and our society effectively we need to change our perceptions. The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. We must learn to have different perception things.

Your present situation may be bleak; things may look like the end is imminent. But I can assure you that your ability to make positive confessions and to eschew negativity, pessimism, mediocrity, apathy and other vices is the first step in your journey to success. We have not only the ability to perceive the world but also the ability to alter our perception of it.

Simply put, we can change things by the manner in which we look at them (i.e. the perception we currently have of them). Do not remain set in your old ways (perceptions) of looking at things with apathy and cynicism, for the only thing that is constant is change.

As you step out of your house each day, make a conscious effort to see only the good and the positive in everyone and everything. Do not form blanket opinions or generalizations about issues and be slow to make hasty conclusions about people and situations. It doesn’t make you gullible or weak, it makes you a believer in the human race and it is a good potential to do well and be your best.

If you see yourself as happy, successful, wealthy, beautiful, having a great career and at the top of your game with a positive self-image, then you’re most likely all of these. You are what you see or say. Want to know why? This is because what the eyes can perceive, the mouth confesses and the mind attracts. If you are not sticky to your current perceptions, new realities are in the horizon for your next phase of life.

As such we must continue to challenge ourselves each day, break barriers, conquer new frontiers and accomplish goals. Do not take the limits of your own field of vision for the limits of the world. The bicycle of life will only move if you continue to pedal. Once you stop pedaling you remain stationary. You will be doing yourself and your society a great disservice if we go through life carrying the wrong perceptions.

Don’t forget that by questioning your perception always, new life inceptions that will follow would not be surprises to you.

A time used to experiment with change of perception is never a wasted time.

To your success!

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Dawan Ejomah is the co-presenter of Realms of Freedom airing on Eko FM 89.75 every Monday at 7 p.m. “Realms of Freedom “is a motivational Talk Show that is strategically poised to be a voice of change by providing a positive re-orientation on perception for the “perceptually challenged” in our society. Dawan believes that more people need to develop the right attitudes and mindsets to enable them contribute meaningfully to issues that concern us all locally and internationally. The vision of show is to see people free of the shackles of negativity, pessimism, mediocrity, apathy and other vices that threaten our common good. Central to the theme of the show is the desire to see local entrepreneurs develop Nigerian brands with international recognition and thus attain financial freedom. The show is anchored on the belief that rather than throw blame at our institutions of government and public service, we can be pioneers of the change that we seek.

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