Times Of Swaziland: THE POWER OF PERCEPTION

THE POWER OF PERCEPTION
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Bandiswa Vilane on 02/10/2024 14:22:00


The modern world is obsessed about representation and rightfully so because in
so doing we advocate and acknowledge the diversity of society. People are
different, from personality, to how they choose to present themselves and this
is because everyone has the right to be who they choose to be.Now, this article
is not about representation or diversity itself, but rather the place of the
individual in this conversation. In this conversation, the individual is left
with a choice, of where they stand in the controversial expectations of existing
in a diverse environment.
Perceived
To break it down, the individual is their own person, with their own thoughts,
ideas, perceptions of life and a right to these things, however, it does not
necessary mean that these thoughts, perceptions, and ideas have no impact on how
the individual is perceived or how they present themselves in society, it is
also true that these thoughts, ideas and beliefs can be an infringement to the
lives and beliefs of others, which means that the individual is left with the
responsibility of what this means – the potential consequences it can have on
them. Society has come a long way, especially when we take into consideration
that there has been a time when the world was not receptive of anything that
opposed the traditional mentality and way of life. Many have become more
receptive of it. In the same bracket, the world has grudgingly forced society to
change their thinking and move with the times.
Consideration
Therefore, your values and thoughts need to stem from a consideration of the
reality you live in above the stubborn need to clench onto certain ideologies.
For example, a man will lose on a job because they believe women cannot be
leader and ‘ngeke siphatfwe bafati emisebentini’ and as a result, miss out
on opportunities simply because they present themselves as misogynistic. The
world is inclusive now, eradicating the old defined gender norms and
continuously proving many stereotypes wrong, as an individual you choose where
you stand in this and wherever you stand can either break or make you depending
on how you present yourself.
Can the interviewer see as you speak that you have negative language towards
females? Do you spend all day speaking negatively about women? The same applies
for women. In fact, often times we miss out on opportunities because of this,
because of the way we constantly present ourselves to the world. One person is
job-hunting, and they wake up every day to talk about prominent subjects, to
talk against political figures, discuss men or women in a negative light, share
embarrassing posts and comments on people and still want to be taken seriously
and affiliated with on a professional level. The world we live in has become so
digital that your digital print will leave a mark outside of social media.
‘I am not what I post’ is a scapegoat song, but the reality is that those
who do not know you see you as what you post, in fact, what you put out into the
digital world adds onto how you are perceived because that character is what
people see when they relate to you, it is a presentation of the self and that
alone can mean there are many rooms where your name will show up and your merit
will be left to that. Unfair? Maybe. Unfortunately, it still stands and cannot
be changed or disregarded by the fact that we believe it is unfair. Your
outstanding curriculum vitae will do so much for you; however, it cannot change
the perception that you create in people’s viewpoint through the way you
present yourself.
Create
Today, perception is what sells you, when you create the right perception of
yourself, you have won half the battle and stand a chance at accessing better
tables. The truth is that your qualifications may be impressive and might make
you a better candidate and still not get you were you want to be because you
have lost at perception.  How people perceive you is important when trying to
gain access to better opportunities because people want to work with people they
like, is you are not likable, you already have a hard time proving why it would
make sense for you to be hired. In fact, the people that have mastered the power
of perception get further in life because they understand what the world needs
from them, they understand what people want and the power of being easy to work
with.