CJ Barker

Posted: June 26, 2020

Both professionally and personally I have been encountering challenges in which an individual may not be receptive to feedback, active listening, or choose to dig their heels in and pick a particular innocuous hill to die on. This is fine and each of our own prerogatives; however, we have to be accountable for our actions and willing to accept reality.

The reality is based off of the daily interactions we all have with others. Albeit this reality might be with a work colleague, friend, family member, spouse, and even sales clerk at your favorite retailer. That reality is based on the perceptions each individual or a collective group of folks and their perceived experiences.

We can choose to build our own “reality distortion” ala Steve Jobs, or we can choose to accept that perception is reality. Feedback is a gift, but that’s for another post.

We are all presented with challenges. How we choose to show up and respond to those challenges is up to each of us. We can choose to put our head in the sand, throw our hands up and walk away, or we can choose to listen, observe, orient, decide, and act. That’s right, I just dropped an OODA loop.

How each of us responds is our own prerogative. What’s important is that regardless of the narrative we tell ourselves, inner monologue, or self-image we have ingrained, is that the perception of our peers/family/other, those we interact with, is what matters. We can choose to build our own internal (distortion) reality, but the perception of others IS reality.

How will you choose to show up and respond to your own reality or that perceived by others?

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