You, me, your neighbor: we’re delusional. By design (evolution, whatever, you know what I mean). We’re delusional for a reason.
Some of these delusions are called biases.
While “perception is reality” (for the perceiver), we are best equipped to handle this world when the gap between perception and reality is minimized.
The minimization of the gap between perception and reality is sometimes painful. However, it is almost always a beneficial experience, a growth experience.
There are tools available to close the gap between perception and reality:
- A budget
- A dashboard (for your goals, grades, business, finances, relationships, etc.)
- Asking for feedback from others (not perfect, because this is itself a perception, but can help see yourself from another perspective)
- Keeping track of your progress (like a portfolio of art, a sketchbook, a blog, journal, etc. – something where your progress is visible and tangible, all in one place. The “don’t break the chain” method of habit/skill formation (you put an ‘X’ on each day of the calendar you work on your habit/craft and “don’t break the chain”)
- Any form of objective tracking or metrics where one is prevented from deviating too far from reality due to “the facts”
- A mentor or teacher or collaborative/supportive team