THE POWER OF PERCEPTION

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.

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