Perception

As I've been interviewing and talking to others free time has given me more opportunity to mull things over and over and over again...

I read a friends blog on performance appraisals the other day and it triggered memories of ominous past yearly discussions which seem to always bring up the infamous word of perception.

I've learned that perception is the way we receive and interpret the information we are presented with. Understanding of our surroundings is perceived by our sense organs. Light and radiation stimulate our eyes; sound waves and air vibrations stimulate our ears; tastes stimulate our tongues; and smells stimulate our noses. Our skin is also a sense organ, perceiving pressure, pain, and temperature.

I question at times just as I'm sure others have how am I perceived as a man, as a black man, as friend, as a employee, as potential mate, etc etc etc etc....

In the corporate world I define myself as reserved, calm and rationale....efficient, organized and detail oriented...on the flip others view me as quiet and unapproachable. Mind you I've always maintained quality, time and cost on all of my projects and been noted as an effective team leader one that can motivate and boost morale of my direct reports. It's the warm fuzzy that the executives want when all along I see the cut-throats moving up the food chain.

As a friend, I wonder on this one more than I probably should... I think it goes back to the despair post from earlier. I think sometimes that my friends see me as a burden, am I a good friend or someone that is just tolerated from time to time.

All in all our mind will see what we want it to see. We all see the same thing but perceive it differently. In the end we must all work with the understanding that perceptions are as important as reality.

There are two quotes that I hold dear:

"Character is who you are when no one but God is watching" - Unknown
"The minor cadences of despair change often to triumph and calm confidence" ---WEB DuBois

......and I'm reminded of Miss Celie at this moment too ---I'm poor, I'm black, I may even be ugly, but dear God I'm here, I'm here!