Perception Vs. Reality

Perception vs. Reality

In his book The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge, coach Tony Dungy says, “Perceptions don’t win ball games. No team can rely on its reputation. . . . After all it may not even be accurate—perception is not the same as reality.”^a

You know, sometimes uncovering reality from our perception can take work. Coach Dungy says that to develop a good game plan for life, we need to know who we really are versus how others perceive us. We need to be rooted, not in the image of what we want to be, or who society says we should be, but in who God made us to be.

Author Brad Lomenick challenges his readers to build a habit of self-discovery into their lives. He states, “Developing a habit of self-discovery means creating intentional rhythms whereby one observes who he is, listens to his life, and strives to define himself apart from his professional assignments.”^b

Lomenick, the former leader of the “Catalyst Movement,” found that he had lost his sense of identity outside his work because he didn’t know how to separate himself from it. This can lead to big mistakes and bad habits.

The habit of self-discovery is something that effective leaders do on a regular basis, seeking the sense to know what is at work in their hearts. For some it looks like a weekly Sabbath, journaling about what is in their hearts and minds, and connecting with other men in authentic community. Don’t let your career or others’ perception of you define who you are. The psalmist in Psalm 119:73 says to God, “You made me; you created me.” Be faithful to who God made you to be.

You made me; you created me.

Psalm 119:73