Perception and Perspective: two words that have frequently appeared in my Marketing classes, as we ask questions like: How does your company perceive other cultures? How did the customer’s expectations differ for their perception of the service received? And when brainstorming for a creative brief or to reach for a new target market: It is important to change your perspective, to understand what the prospective consumer desires. These are just fancy ways of saying that it is sometimes beneficial to change your viewpoint, in order to understand why others see things the way that they do.
I have found this to be an interesting concept to wrap my mind around, given that a common topic of self-reflection has lately been my frustration with, not only how others perceive me, but how I perceive myself. To say that these two words are in the race for becoming my word would be slightly inaccurate, but I will say that they are my warm-up stretches before I brave the starting line.
Graduation is creeping closer as each day passes, and my perception of “myself versus the brave new world” is nauseating and thrilling, as if I am in a plane that has reached the appropriate altitude, and it is time to either jump or decide we weren’t born with wings, therefore we’re not meant to fly. But I want to fly, and what makes my stomach churn even more, is that no one thinks I’ve packed a parachute (and a spare, at that).
Being the youngest of my family has me labeled with the permanent descriptor of “naïve”. They think my perception on life is idealistic because I dare to dream and I want to challenge myself. Despite being wise beyond my years, taking note of every obstacle, each of which I have overcome, and being the incessant planner that I am (so that I may continue to make smart decisions), I am still perceived as this starry-eyed dreamer who is constantly in need of a reality check. But the only thing that I’m an in need of is some trust and faith.
My concern now stems from how I perceive myself, and I no longer want to care about how others see me. It is, in fact, my life… an obvious concept to be sure, but one that I have yet to grasp.
I am almost 24, and feel that I have yet to live. I’ve always dreamed big, but have never taken the risks, because in every decision I make, I weigh the pros and cons and always end up making the smarter, safer choice. Before that though, my family feels it necessary to prescribe me another healthy dose of Reality. Goals have ceased to be about what I want in life, and have turned into what is safe. So how do I stop encouraging these perceptions?
Well, my first step is to change my own perspective. I am aware that my aspirations are risky, and will take serious effort, planning and courage on my part but that doesn’t change how I feel. I am going to move to New York. Yes, I will be smart about it and will research and plan (like I have always done), but this will be my reality. I want to achieve my vast ambitions, and I know that along the way the road will be rocky, and I may fail. But I am tired of being fearful of failure. I want to be able to perceive myself as brave, courageous and strong, and I’m not going to be able to do that until I can gain a new perspective.
At the risk of sounding selfish and with the weight of guilt on my shoulders, I must start making choices for me. It is not about defiance or spite, it’s about making changes. I need to actually see the world, in order to view differently. And perhaps, along the way, my changed perspective will transform how I see myself, and maybe how others see me too. I've got a long bucket list, and it’s time to get started on it.
