1/ "Perception doesn't create reality, it is reality."
~Jed McKenna

2/ I often quote Korzybski's well-known maxim "the map is not the territory" as a way of introducing the idea that what we believe is an accurate view of reality is actually a perceptual map.

The question then becomes: "What if we've got the wrong map?"

3/ Our perceptions are often formed by repeated thoughts and actions over time. They become habits that are very difficult to break because they *feel* right to us. Yet, we weren't born with any of these habits, how did we acquire them?

4/ Many were instilled in us by our parents and family. Others by friends and the norms of society. Repetition implants them in our brains and connects them to our feelings, regardless of the soundness of the perception itself. The link to feelings is a key to understanding

5/ why it's so hard for many of us to challenge and unpack them. The link to feelings makes many associate a perception or belief directly with how we define ourself as a person. So, we often don't challenge them or question their validity.

6/ But allowing our perceptions and beliefs to simply accumulate haphazardly is robbing us of improving them to the point where we can't even question whether we're using the right "map" or not. We compound the problem by attaching "logical" reasons to them after the fact.

7/ By leaving our perceptions/beliefs unquestioned, we are passively accepting things rather than actively questioning them. Unless we are extraordinarily lucky, this will leave us with poorly optimized, dirty perception filters and maps that might lead us astray.

8/ I've found it's helpful to continually ask "why do I believe this?" and "am I seeing things correctly?" Start by writing out some of your inconsequential beliefs and perceptions first. Your mind/ego won't fight too hard against trivial perceptions

9/ If you're like me, you might find that your perception filter, formed through habitual repetition, is occluded and the best way to see more clearly is to use a better perception filter which leads to better maps that bring better outcomes.

10/ I won't lie: it's hard to start thinking this way. You'll find internal resistance is quite strong the first few times you try this. But let that feeling of resistance be the very thing that reminds you how strongly we're affected by habitual perceptions and beliefs.

11/ Then move on to more complicated perceptions/beliefs and journal what they may imply about the way you process the world. If you're poorly calibrated and find yourself constantly excusing incorrect perceptions on external events or the actions of others,

12/ you'll be able through reviewing your written observations to more actively see this as a faulty perception that can be corrected and not something that defines you. It gets easier the more you do it, and becomes self-reinforcing as you see your updated perceptions

13/ lead to better and more accurate observations, leading in turn to a better understanding of the world around you. @naval said something along the lines of "the truth should be predictive" and the way to get closer to the "truth" is seeing things more clearly.

14/ by actively questioning yourself and allowing better an better perception filters, you'll find that many outcomes start to turn in your favor. Not all of course, we're all human. But you weren't born with all these filters, and you have every right to improve them.

15/ We control little of our external environment, but we have far more control over our minds that process it. Use it, document it, build on what you learn. Discard poor filters and replace them with better ones. You might see a whole new world if you do.