Perception vs Perspective

Teya Summers | November 21

We talk about changing how we see things but what do we really mean by that? Perception and perspective are words that are often confused. We use them interchangeably but I would argue they are not the same thing at all:

Perception is your version of events – what you saw, how you felt, what it meant in the moment. It’s shaped by memory, bias, emotion, its deeply personal and becomes locked to that specific point in time. You can’t change your perception, nor can anyone else. However, for someone to offer you their perception you are gaining another point of view.

It’s like this… imagine you’re looking out of a window. You see what’s in front of you: the tarmac road, wet from the rain, reflecting the sun into your eyes. Your next door neighbour is just taking their new greyhound puppy for a walk and you feel envious of them for having a reason to go outside. Now on the other side of the street, someone else is looking out of their window. They see the rain hitting the ground, the sunlight shining back and a stranger is taking a puppy for a walk. They feel glad to be inside where it’s cosy and warm and a cup of tea is already brewing

Your experience is always going to be unique, completely different to anyone else’s. Neither one of these views are wrong, you’re both looking at the same street just from different angles. To them, your view – your perception – is just another possible perspective.

Much in the same way, as you look back on certain events in your life you will have gained perspective as you grow older. Perspective is flexible, it changes as you do. Over time, you experience new emotions, you meet people who offer new perspectives and you form a more objective opinion, less based on emotions and bias and more based on the experience you’ve gained.

This, I think, is a beautiful thing.

Changing your perspective doesn’t erase the past (or the emotions you felt) it simply re-contextualises it. You can’t change what happened but you can change what it means to you and that power is something we all possess yet hugely underutilise.

So, I encourage you to chase new points of view, be more curious, have more empathy – perspective work is slow but if nothing else it brings a different kind of gratitude for having the capacity to feel.

Bit by bit this will alter your perception of the same event. How you felt looking out the window when it was raining 10 years ago may now be completely different. Maybe now, you’ve started drinking tea and have learnt to love warm and cosy days just as much as your adventures outdoors

I suppose when I said your perception can’t be changed I was wrong. Just give it time…