Have you heard it said, ‘The world is your mirror’, or ‘There’s no perception without projection’, or even ‘Spot it, you’ve got it’? These expressions point to how the source of the outer world we experience is actually our own inner world reflected back to us. The fact is we don’t see the physical world as it actually is; we filter reality to experience certain things and not others.
We need a method to filter information from the world since our brain processes a whopping 40 million bits per second. The proof of this filtering lies in the fact that we only truly pay attention to a tiny portion of it – a mere 40 bits per second. It's quite a significant gap when you consider that out of the massive 40 million bits, only 40 manage to grab our attention. Can you believe it? Just 40 out of 40 million!
Now the implication of all this is that our reality is created by what we experience and what we experience is governed by what we have told our brain to watch out for. Are you starting to see how the outer world we experience is influenced by what is going on inside ourselves?...
A bit of psychology to consider...
Because we have not yet come to discover a certain aspect of self, we project it out into the world - onto others - so that we can see ourselves.
Most people think that what is hidden in the shadows are negative things, like anger and impatience and we fear that this makes us not good enough. BUT, there is good news, a lot of what we project is ‘good’ or positive aspects of ourselves that we have not yet accepted.
As Marianne Williams says:
To unlock a deeper understanding of yourself, consider embracing the phenomenon of projection. Whether tending to criticise or praise, the key lies in embracing openness. Approach self-reflection with curiosity and sincerity, seeking to uncover both negative and positive aspects within yourself that you have yet to acknowledge.
Here’s a practical way to leverage this phenomenon of projection:
This notion of be the change does 3 powerful things when applied:
When you become aware of how YOU would like to be, you can adjust yourself, and then you can start to look for this in the world. AND GUESS, what happens then? You start to see the world mirroring your new changed way back to you.
Deb Maes, M.A. Comm is like a magician in the way she is able to discern the exact key to unlock more of the untapped potential in leaders.