Perceptions, Motives & Agendas Workbook

All of us, every minute of every day, are perceiving. Perceptions rule our interactions with our world. We cannot “know” reality directly – rather, every experience is filtered, or perceived, through our senses. Perceptions drive our understanding, our “point-of-view”, our motives, and our agendas. It is vitally important that we understand how and why we perceive things the way we do.

Our perceptions can go one of two directions: they can be shame-based or reality-based. If we are not conscious and aware of what drives our perceptions, agendas and motives, we are likely to perceive the world from a shame-based perspective. In that case, we’ll have a very limited or narrow view of our experiences in life and our interactions with other people. Most often, we don’t examine our perceptions; instead, we assume that what we initially perceive is the whole truth of our experiences.

When we are willing to become aware of how we perceive or “see” things, why we perceive them that way, what we think, and how we respond to situations, we will see clearly where our perceptions do not represent the whole of reality. Armed with that vital ability, we are able to:

• Reduce conflict and anger in our lives
• Feel the joy and excitement of living consciously
• Make deliberate and reality-based decisions
• Develop power to choose our emotions and respond to them appropriately
• Understand ourselves
• Understand others more completely
• Connect with others more deeply
• Empathize with others. We become able to see things from their perspective more easily
• Purposely respond (rather than react) to situations
• Grow in happiness and peace

This workbook includes:

• 4 “sessions” (28 pages):
  1. Perceptions – Definition & General Information
  2. Motives & Agendas Come from our Perceptions
  3. Moving from Shame to Reality
  4. More Examples: Distortion AND Reality
• 11 homework activities (70 pages)
• Supplemental diagrams (12 pages)
• Total: 112 pages

In this workbook, you’ll learn:

• We build our own unique perceptive system as we have experiences throughout our lives. Our hurts & fear, values & morals, histories & beliefs, all play a role in determining how we perceive our present.
• What causes “my truth” to deviate from the Truth.
• We can change our perceptive habits by:
  • Healing our past hurts, and
  • Practicing the habit of recognizing our emotions and perceptions, consciously processing them, and responding to them instead of reacting to them.
• As we purposefully inspect our perceptions, we’ll find clues about what in our history is still un-dealt-with, or is still negatively impacting our present. If we use this as a tool, we can more completely heal our griefs and wounds, and be healthy and connected in our present and in our future.
• A plan of action—a “how”—for becoming aware of our perceptions, agendas, and motives.
  • We have permission to feel or perceive in whatever way we initially do
  • We can recognize and validate those initial perceptions
  • We can actually move those perceptions into the truth of reality by adding a bigger picture viewpoint to them. The course contains many examples of how to do this.
  • The process can be enjoyable and fun, and it is extremely empowering.