NLP PRESUPPOSITION #4: People respond more to perception than reality itself.

This one is a powerful one and it goes along with the previous presupposition. Read it slowly: People respond more to perception than reality itself. Our reality is process internally by our brain by what our senses are able to perceive, but our senses are extremely limited, I mean, we are only able to see the range of colours that our eyes allows us, we are only able to hear the decibeis that our ears capture and interpet, but reality goes wayyyyy beyond that!

For example other animals can hear a range of sounds that the human ear is not able and for example people who are daltonic, are able to see a more limited range of colors. This means that we do not actually experience reality but only what we are able to perceive and different people have different realities exactly because of this.

So, having this in mind, we can also become more aware of our choices on how we react to our current reality as our reactions determine the results we get most of the times, there is even that saying from Albert Einstein: If You Want Different Results, You Have to Try Different Approaches.

So let’s say something bad happens to you… That’s ok, it’s normal, how you will react it is up to you. For example, you lost your job, you will get said and fall into despair? Such a waste of energy right? Our energy is limited, if our goal is continuing having a job, instead of wasting our energy crying and complaining to everyone, isn’t it more efficient to go for interviews and find a new job? You might even find a better one! So pay attention to the way you react, it’s normal for us to fall into traps and feel low, it’s the normal human response in now-a-days.

People upon certain events react differently, and those who usually tend to have happier lives are the ones whose reactions are positive to most events. Have you seen in competition, people in 2nd place sad that they were not in 1st place, while people who were in third were celebrating that they reached the top 3? Happiness is a choice, and guess what, it’s not limited to happiness only.

There are many reasons why people react differently to the same happenings, but our perception is not the reality itself but the choice is make in the current circumstances. You might be rich and miserable while you have a poor neighboor that is happy everyday. So that we can positively influence others, we need make an effort to be aware of the role our perception plays in our lives and the lives of others as we have an inclination to misinterpret information based on our personal cognitive biases.

Check other posts on this serie:

17 Presuppositions of NLP – By Kain Ramsay

NLP PRESUPPOSITION #1: Everyone’s paradigm of the world is RIGHT in their eyes.

NLP PRESUPPOSITION #2: The response determines the meaning of a communication.

NLP PRESUPPOSITION #3: The mind and body operate in tandem with each other.