Perception is Not Reality…Always
Building and working on your reputation, how people perceive you is crucial.
This is actually a deeply interesting conversation to dive into…more than most people even realize on the surface. And, even as I write this…not entirely sure how far I want to go.
Let me put it to you this way. Unless you know the “inside truth” or the “real skinny” on some of the things out there in the world, you're in many, many cases having the wool pulled over your eyes, or at least duped into believing something that is far different than the truth. But…not gonna dive into that too much in this post. Maybe for another time.
But…for sure, remember this. Perception isn't always the truth.
Perception IS reality in they eyes of the beholder. Changing your reputation and how people perceive you is in your full control.
Either way, the question posed above, “How are you perceived in the marketplace?” is a legitimate one. You control the perception people have about you (for the most part) based on how you act and what kinds of stuff you project upon them. It's where the term “perception is projection” comes from.
An individual's perception of you becomes their reality of who they believe you to be. But that perception (or their reality of you) is based almost entirely upon what you have projected upon them.
Maybe read those two sentences a few more times and make sure it sinks in.
Some good questions to ask yourself are:
How do people perceive you?
Are you considered trustworthy?
Can they rely on you?
Do they see you as someone who does what he/she says?
Do you always do things BIG or are you all over the board?
Are you perceived as consistent in your behavior or unpredictable?
I'm having a really hard time keeping my mouth shut in this post because perception can so often not be reality. What you perceive to be true and real…may not even be.
Your perception of something becomes your reality of what you believe that thing to be.
When you understand that concept, there's ultimate power in it. You control the marketplace's perception of you…even if it isn't factual.
Truth is better than fiction, even though fiction sounds better sometimes. I'd say that “what you see is what you get” is 100% better than bullshitting people into believing something about you that isn't even remotely true…even though marketers do that stuff all the time. In fact… lots of people do it.
Why this post and why talk about the concept of “how you're perceived by others in the marketplace?”
Simple.
It makes a MASSIVE IMPACT on the growth of your business.
If you're perceived and it's backed up by the actual truth that you are what people think you are…in this case, an awesome and amazing human being, then success will likely follow.
If your friends, associates and people you know perceive you and know you to be a person of character, of responsibility, one who is trustworthy, reliable, consistent, and overall a really amazingly cool person, then business will probably be pretty easy for you.
On the other hand, if you're hard to figure out, edgy, not cool, someone who can't be counted on, irresponsible, or any other word to describe the direction I'm going…then nobody wants it. They don't want to be part of it.
If you want to go about changing your reputation and having people welcome you with open arms, they need to be able to answer YES to these questions…
Can I rely on you? YES.
Can I count on you? YES!
Can I trust you? YES!!!
That's a good way to be for attracting goodies into your life. If it's not that way for you…then right now you can change it. You can act differently…and over time change the perception that others have of you.
That's enough for today…
