Wealth Law #2: How Perception Shapes Your Reality

Wealth Law number two, also known as the Law of Emanation or "Perception is Projection" is a powerful principle that can deeply influence our experience of the world. 

The reality is, we are gigantic story creators. 

We need to give meaning to the things we see in our lives, so we are constantly making up stories in our heads. What is the story you're making up in your head when you see a particular picture? 

What's really important to understand is that the stories we create about life, the world around us, and the things we see outside of ourselves can only come from the data we already have in our known environment. We cannot create something without the ingredients that are already inside of us—something we see, hear, or feel. 

So, we make up stories using our internal filters, our values, our beliefs, our past experiences, and the information we have stored in our heads about past experiences, the things we've been told to be true, global truths, and individual beliefs around things.

What's the Story?

Click here to watch the video where you will see the stories you create by looking at 2 different pictures. 

What's the story you created looking at the different pictures? 

What was your mind telling you, what was it saying? 

What are you saying about yourself? 

What judgments do we have? 

Also, know that we are constantly judging. Judging is just evaluating things—our brain is looking at whether something is good or bad. 

We like to box things to make us feel safe. 

We need to do that while scanning: Is this a threat? Is it an opportunity? What does it say about the world around us?

In life, in your daily experiences notice the story you create. Notice if there are any key themes around this. Notice if there are any particular emotions or judgments. 

You see, whatever you and I perceive about ourselves, these are our own unique models of the world created as we go along in life, mostly unconsciously. 

We then project that out into the world. We seek evidence to confirm our biases, confirm our beliefs, and make us feel safe around the meaning we give to the world outside of us. So, whatever comment we make about others or situations, we're actually making about ourselves or something we believe about our world and what is or isn't possible for us. We cannot perceive something in others or in the outside world without having an element of some belief or story about that within ourselves.

The Scratch on the Lens

If we are seeing and perceiving something that doesn't make us feel great, doesn't make us feel safe, doesn't make us feel worthy or wealthy, doesn't bring us joy, makes us feel judged or uncomfortable, then we can know that there's some negative belief or connotation that scratches inside of us. 

The great thing is to now get curious. This gives us some fantastic perspective about an area that could be holding us back.

For example, if we look at a picture of a woman on a luxury yacht with a beautiful body, she's young and looks like she's having a ball…

What are the beliefs that come up? 

Is this her yacht? 

What's she doing? 

Who is she? 

What did she do to have this experience? 

Notice if there's any negativity around this image or connotations. Is there any element of envy, irritation, or frustration? Maybe there's some story of fairness—maybe she got to do this because she's young and has a great body. Maybe someone else paid for this holiday. Maybe she's having a great break because she created a fantastic business and a result. The important part is to first recognize that these are all just stories we make up.

The second thing is to go, "That's really interesting." What are the elements around it? Because the stories we create about how we could or couldn't be doing the things we want, when we see others maybe living the life we desire, or maybe for you it's not a yacht, but some other experience, we start to see possibilities. 

We start noticing what our underlying beliefs are about the possibility and probability of having that. Or, looping back to Wealth Law number one, do we go to effect?

If you missed Wealth Law number one: Cause & Effect - click here.

Is It Motivating or Disabling?

Do we see something as motivating or disabling for us? 

A threat or an opportunity? 

Do you feel bad about allowing yourself to have avalanches of abundance and be able to live a life full of joy and abundance, having the things and experiences you want, while there are other people out there who are not able to have that?

When we can just be curious about the stories we make up, we can really ask, 

What is being triggered inside of me at this moment? 

What am I believing? 

What am I noticing? 

What am I seeing?

This is so powerful when we start asking, "What else could I be making up in this situation?"

Curiosity: The Key to Transformation

Curiosity is so important because this now gives us the real opportunity to see if there's a scratch inside of us. Perception also reveals our habitual emotions. Do we go to helplessness? Anger? Frustration? Opportunity? 

Yes, these are things that the chemicals in our brain have habituated us to. Are there more dopamine receptors? Are there more receptors for anger, frustration, helplessness, or wanting to feel we need to rescue? 

Generally, some emotion, often an inevitable emotion, is believing that we need something to be different for us to be okay.

If, when we see someone begging or see real poverty, we've got to be really careful to be curious about our response. Is our response one of genuine compassion, coming from a place of seeing someone as a full individual? Or are we wanting something to be different so we can be okay? 

That's a real important nuance there. 

What is the emotion that drives us? 

Because at the end of the day, our actions will be driven by emotions. Do we see someone who doesn't have a lot, and then go into deep gratitude for what we have and commit to really getting value for what we have and living our lives fully as the greatest gift we can give to the world?

When we can start to understand that the stories we're making up come from inside of us—our hopes, our fears, our beliefs, our values, and joy—we can then start saying, "Wow, is the meaning I'm giving to things serving me or not? And could I create a different story?"

Rewrite the Story

When we really think about it, whether we get habitually pissed off, frustrated, irritated, sad, feel helpless, ashamed, or guilty—all of those things can only live inside of us. 

Nobody can come with a bucket of "pissed-offness" or a bucket of shame and pour it inside of us. It wells up from inside of us. The same goes with love, joy, awe, and wonder. We all have access to those. 

Nobody can put those things inside of you. They come from within. All that happens is something outside of us triggers something inside of us, and then we habitually do an emotion or we choose an emotion, mostly unconsciously, and that gets triggered. Usually, we're reliving some past experience, maybe some past trauma, especially if we're very heightened and there's a strong emotion around it.

So, in your work, investing, and relationships, ask yourself, "Wow, is this familiar?" 

Maybe it has nothing to do with this specific situation. 

When we realize that we get to choose to feel helpless, sad, irritated, pissed off, wealthy, joyful, sexy, or delighted, then we are back at choice. We have agency.

You know, a negative emotion is usually an indication of some negative experience or limiting belief that we hold about ourselves, the world, or what's possible for us. And then we project that out into the world. "You know, it's just not possible for someone like me to have the life that I want." So, the next time you see someone who's incredibly successful, achieving and living the life you would love to be living in all areas of their life, celebrate that. Project and see yourself in that. Notice what's coming up for you. Let that expand, get curious, and ask, "What would I need to believe differently in order to be able to have that experience and be fully there?"

Next time you see someone who's struggling with a challenge, instead of feeling sorry for them or feeling guilty about what you have, can you instead project onto them the amazing, complete being that they already are?

None of us know what another soul's journey is. 

Yes, we can be there to give them support if they choose and want to have it, but we've got to be very careful that we are not wanting someone else to be different so we can be okay.

Notice this with your kids, your partner, your spouse, maybe your brother or sister—is there a codependency where you are enabling someone else's dysfunction because it makes you uncomfortable to see them struggling, in pain, or in a difficult position? 

Maybe that's exactly what they need for their growth and change.

So, can we always start with the first presupposition that another person is a fully capable, amazing being, and they are getting to live their amazing life? 

Let them be in their lane, and you be in yours. And if there's a place for support from you, and if that is congruent and comes from a place of fullness from you—not needing something different to be okay—then you get to control the destiny.

What would happen if you looked at other people in this way, if you approached the world in this way? 

Remember, no two people think the same way. It's not just a function of race, color, creed, sex, upbringing, religion, or family—what work you do or don't do—all of those things impact that. But all of our lived experiences and exposures have created a unique set of filters through which we get to perceive, project, and create the stories in our lives.

I know sometimes we're tempted to think that other people are being obstructive, difficult, or idiots, or that life isn't fair. We might think we need something to be different outside of us for us to be okay. And in some cases, people might be exhibiting pretty awful behaviors. But in reality, I'd suggest that it may be more beneficial to be slightly more open-minded and notice what is within you.

We have a choice to take every single thing as an opportunity to be curious about ourselves—not in a self-obsessed way—but remember that lovely curiosity as a tool to great wealth. And remember, WTF—Wow, That's Fascinating. What have I got to glean from here? What data can I take? And this is where we can start to create new stories.

Remember, it's all made up. So, if you're not liking the results or the impact of the stories you're making up in your head, make up a new story.

As we continue exploring the Laws of Wealth, don’t miss out on the next step in this journey - Click here to read about the 3rd law of wealth: The Law of Meaning

Huge "Perceptive" Love, 

Ann