the map is not the territory

Ive been thinking about how every person on earth is experiencing reality completely differently than one another. It kinda freaked me out and led me to wonder how any of us can ever truly relate to someone.

In NLP they talk about how "The map is not the territory" which basically means that our perception of the world is not the actual world itself.

A few things have come up lately that have brought this truth to light in my own life. I have spent the last several days completely consumed with a fear that I am almost certain is a complete myth I created in my head. But a small part of me believes it regardless.

I am always reading the people around me and stupidly assume that their actions, change of tone or behaviors are related to me somehow. The sucky part is when your fear was correct and was actually the voice of intuition. This leads you to expect that every other assumption will come to pass eventually. total BS but almost impossible to convince your brain otherwise.

This little episode of doubt and concern has somehow spilled into other aspects of my day. How much of my interactions and experiences are a product of my filters of perception? What can I do to rid myself of the destructive patterns I have held for years. How will I even know when I am having them?

What would life be like if you could remove those destructive filters permanently? For instance if I see a beautiful girl in the grocery store, what if I could turn off the voice that says I'm not good enough, good looking enough, rich enough, etc that paralyzes me from approaching and saying hi? What would my life be like if I had no negative filter?

I know the answer to that. Because I have had that fearlessness. Recently. And it usually turns out good.

But still. My life is completely defined by the perceptions I have placed on my world. I want to be fearless all the time, in every aspect of life. Rather than fear starting my own business and the potential failure I could see it as an opportunity to escape the rat race and create a financial legacy that will outlive me.

Its all about what I decide is more real to me.

Boom my head exploded.