Understanding your real impact on others

What it is like to deal with you? 

Do you know how your colleagues feel about working with you?

It is important to know how people experience you and how people experience themselves when interacting with you. 

The best way to find out it to get specific feedback from your co-workers to find out how you are really perceived. 

This process might be a bit uncomfortable or even tough to do, but you can’t deny the reality of other people’s feeling, reactions, and perceptions. They are neither right nor wrong. Whatever they are, you must know them and deal with them.

Many times, there is a hidden gap between what we see and what those around us see. When there is an impact disconnect (even a very subtle one) we are not as effective as we can be. 

These disconnects are called professional blind spots and despite our best intentions, these blind spots may be holding us back or preventing us from reaching our full potential.

Does perception matter?

Perception is how we interpret what is going on outside of ourselves. 

Perception molds, shapes, and influences our experience of our personal reality. It is the conclusion we jump to when we try to analyze events and behaviors of others.

Your perceptions affect the quality of your experience of life. It impacts your personal reality and ultimately your experience of life.

If you constantly perceive people like your boss or teacher as always being against you, you will most likely react in a defensive, combative, negatively reactive, and victim-like way. This way of perceiving people can lead to experiencing intense levels of unhappiness.

How to switch to a more positive perception of life?

Take personal responsibility for your past reactions and stop blaming other people. Then you can begin to see people, events, things, and even yourself from a more neutral or positive perspective.

Have a willingness to see things differently. Everything begins with a decision. Decide now to be in charge of your own perception of reality. Change of any kind requires willingness. Readiness to see things differently creates room for us to learn and create new perceptions. Things aren’t always what they seem.

Activate your pause button when triggered. Hitting “pause” and taking a moment to breathe and ground yourself into the present moment so you can choose how you will respond from a more empowered place. 

Misperceiving certain situations, likely because of previous negative experiences you have endured, can also cause you to miss out on some fantastic things life has to offer, such as promotions at work or romantic relationships.