TED Community » Robert Holloway

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Training people in effective communication

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Perceptions are everything...all else exists but awaits for our perceptions to add meaning.

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Improving communication, living a happier life, living to one's full potential

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  A comment on Conversation: When we think we have no options, can we change our perception? Does having options make us happier?

  May 8 2012: Hi, I am a Master NLP coach trainer and practitioner. So here is my take on your questions. Perception is the basis of all that we experience. There is no reality in reality....Everything that we experience, observe, hear, and see are sole results of our perception. Two people can look, hear, feel, or experience the same event at the same time and come away with totally different perceptions. Why is this? There is always an option in the perceptual level.
  
  Happiness is a work without meaning as are all non-objective nouns. Many of us could have discussions what happiness is to us and have real disagreements as well. So to answer your question #1, the answer is, it depends on your definition of happiness, some may be happier with choices while other may be happier with perceiving they only have one choice.
  Even during the holocaust, people had choices and many people made other choices than to be cremated in gas chambers...when people feel they have more control, they may also feel happier...suicide was a choice better than being killed by others, perhaps..the perception that "there is only one choice" is just that, a perception but it is not reality.
  #3...same as above..depends on the person and their perceptions
  #4 Like colors of the rainbow, the are many choices to most events..what happens to you may not be a great perception especially if you wind up in a hospital, however, it is a great thing for the medical profession who earns a living by treating you...maybe be negative for you but quite positive for others, but it is the same event.
  #5. The responsibility lies in oneself and this gets into the area of personal responsibility.
  #6 By changing the perceptions all else changes as well all the way through the cycle to include consequences...
  #7. Depends on the person once again..some are happy with everything, others are happy with simplicity...a perception also, and there are those not happy with everything and always want more...
  Great questions!!!