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The Perception vs. Reality Dilemma
"A woman was waiting at an airport one night. With several long hours before her flight, she hunted for a book in the airport shops, bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop. She was engrossed in her book but happened to see that the man sitting besides her, as bold as could be, grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between; which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene. So she munched the cookies and watched the clock. As the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock; she was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by, thinking, 'If I wasn't so nice, I would blacken his eye.'
With each cookie she took, he took one too. When only one was left, she wondered what he would do. With a smile on his face, and a half nervous laugh, he took the last cookie and broke it in half. He offered her half, as he ate the other. She snatched it from him and thought...ooh brother. This guy has some nerve and he's also rude. Why he didn't even show any gratitude! She had never known when she had been so galled and sighed with relief when her flight was called. She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate, refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate. She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat. Then she gasped with surprise. There was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes. If mine are here, she moaned in despair, the others were his and he tried to share. Too late to apologize she realized with grief, that she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.
How many times in our lives have we absolutely known that something was a certain way, only to discover later that what we believed to be true...was not?"
(Author unknown)
Do you ever dig your heels in and insist that your perception of what is happening is real, only to find out later that you made a huge mistake? Perhaps you misjudged someone or a situation because you held steadfast to your perceptions. These misconceptions can interfere with the health of your relationships and your business success if you allow them to cloud reality.
No doubt you experience the other side of the perception vs. reality dilemma and have others perceive you or your actions in an undesirable light. Perhaps you are found guilty before all the facts are in. Through no fault of your own, you are perceived to be at fault. Then you have to partake in damage control until reality rules.
It's a slippery slope. Perception vs. reality. Can you tell the difference?
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