Hello dudesndivorce.com fellas!
Something occurred to me this morning during my morning run that I felt somewhat relevant to many of us.
You see, this morning I felt, or rather I felt or perceived that my body felt better or more fit and even a little more loose than on a previous run. The last time I has headed out the door I felt stiff despite a good warm up.
Regardless of my “feelings” or perceptions as I watched my wristwatch my times around the track did not vary enough to make any real difference. I recalled years ago when I did run a LOT (I was fairly serious, putting in close to 40 to 50 miles in a week.) and I remembered the same phenomenon. Despite what I felt that “feeling” was rarely reflected in my time. In fact there were times when I felt like crap that I put in my best times and instances when I “felt” great and would put in one of my worst workouts!
Perhaps you’ve noticed this too, there have been times when I dreaded to get on the scale because I just “felt” like I had put on a bunch of weight. Or the reverse, eager to get on the scale because you just “felt” like you had lost weight. All to discover neither was true! Sometimes even to your own shock and dismay the exact opposite of your “feelings” or perceptions was true!
Relationships and communication can be like that. Often it is affected by our “feelings” or perceptions of the way something was said or done that was not intended by the other person. Causing us to “feel” slighted or hurt or offended or many other possibilities when it that was not what the other person was trying to do at all. But merely the way we “perceived” or “felt” or received the message from them. Communication is much like the old say, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Often it is what we perceive that is being communicated to us (through words, vocal inflections, and body language and this can be affected by the situation) rather than what is actually being said to us.
Basically it behooves us to be aware of our own perceptions or rather mis-perceptions of others. Perhaps we are seeing attacks against us when there are none, insults when none were intended, offenses that are simply not there! These misconceptions that we may hold then direct our responses to those people and some times others too. These affect our relationships. Like the stone thrown into a pond, the ripples move outward and touch everything that connects with the pond.
Just something to think about,
Russ
