Perception is what we are presented with once our internal filters are applied to reality. If you’ve been with me so far, you have learned how filters are formed, and how to become aware of the filters you already have. Now we’ve reached the most crucial part: learning to create, replace, and discard your filters.
If you’ve put into practice some of the techniques from the previous article in the series, you now are aware of what at least some of your internal filters are. Once you are aware of a filter, you can, at your choice, either replace or discard it. You can also create new filters, but let’s save that until the end, as dealing with filters that you already have is usually more urgent.
If you don’t like a filter you already have, you can either replace it with another, or discard it entirely. The first step to either result is to become aware not just of the filter’s existence (obviously you’ve already done this or you wouldn’t know that there is something you want to change), but to become aware of it’s implementation. That means becoming aware of every time it gets called, every time something passes through it. The best technique I’ve found for this so far is some sort of reminder. This could be putting a coin in a jar, tying a knot in a string, or one I’ve read about recently, switching a bracelet from one wrist to the other. Each time you do one of these things, it’s teaching your subconscious to alert your conscious mind when whatever you’re trying to become aware of happens, in this case the usage of the filter you’ve chosen.
Now that you’re aware of each usage, you can either consciously apply a different filter that you would like to replace your current one, or you can work on trying to perceive whatever it is without the filter at all. For example, if you want to remove a filter of being scared of dogs, each time you see one, and feel that filter kicking in, you can do your reminder task and then make yourself stop and see that the dog is not a threat, perhaps even going so far as asking the owner if you can pet it, depending on how great your fear is and how far in the removal process you are. If you want to replace a filter, say to go from seeing the world through a scarcity filter to seeing it through an abundance filter, you can do your reminder task, and then make a conscious effort to perceive the same situation through the new filter you want. In the example of scarcity vs abundance, for instance, if you notice yourself looking at something as something that you can’t have, make a conscious effort to change and see it as something that will take more effort to have, and evaluate it in the context of effort versus reward instead of simply seeing it as something you can’t have.
Creating a new filter is very similar to replacing an old one (in fact, replacing one involves creating the replacement filter). Basically, you need to become aware of situations where the filter you would like to acquire would apply, and then make a conscious effort to see that situation through the new filter. There is another way to acquire new filters, though, that is easier in some ways, and more difficult in others. The simplest way to acquire a new filter is to be around someone, or even better multiple people, who already have that filter. This is even more effective, as I mentioned in part 2 of this series, if you consider that other person (or those other people) to be an authority in the part of life to which the filter applies.
Creating, discarding, and replacing filters is generally not an instant process, and the time it requires is directly related to how deep the filter is set (for discarding and replacing) or how deep you want the filter set (for creating). Very shallow filters may take very little time or effort, while very deep filters may take weeks, months, years, or even decades. On the positive side, while deep filters may take a long time to complete the process (whichever it is, creating, discarding, or replacing), there is generally noticeable progress along the way, so that you don’t get too discouraged and give up.
Well, that covers the basics of internal filters and biases. You now know enough to consciously change how you see the world, and through that, who you are. If you put into practice what you’ve learned, you will find it becomes easier as you go. You will also probably have insights that help to make it even easier. This process of becoming who you choose to be is what I’m talking about with the slogan at the top – Intelligent Self Development.
